Jackie's Journey "Pardon me...I am Not Wrong!"

Have you ever been grievously offended? 

Can you recall someone who deeply hurt you?

 With five little girls in “The Princess Parable Series”, there is always the challenge of learning how to maintain mutual respect and harmony.  In life, our pain often turns to anger, and if not dealt with, becomes  resentment and bitterness, which ultimately torments us and damages our peace and our health!  Bitterness is like leprosy.  It loses any sensation of pain.  People are then, unaware of when they are hurting themselves or others with their words, attitudes, and actions.

There is only one solution.Being able to forgive is an act of the will and “if we forgive others their offense, then God will forgive us.  If we choose not to forgive, God will not forgive us!”  Matt. 6:14-15  You may have a story of anguish…a time in the past where you felt betrayed and your heart was broken…your dreams shattered. 

True forgiveness disregards any thoughts of cynicism, retaliation or revenge. 

 How forgiving are you toward offenders?

Are there people you have not forgiven?

 The more we comprehend how much we have been forgiven, the easier it is for us to forgive others.  Forgiveness is mentioned over 120 times in the Old and New Testaments.  In reality, the offender is the instrument God is using to develop our character.  To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed on us by someone or something else.

 The offenses of others should cause us to become aware of others needs . It gives us the opportunity to allow God to heal them through us, instead of our self-protection with anger and self-pity…”woe is me”, victim mentality.  “God has a BIG eraser!”   We are commanded to forgive to maintain a clear conscience and to fellowship with our forgiving God.

 “Great peace have they that love thy law and NOTHING shall offend them.”

Psalm 119: 165

 Are you willing to forgive?

”I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul

by making me hate him.”  Booker T. Washington

~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 "Danger Zone!"

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”

Winston Churchill

We live in a world of conflicting ideology and duplicitous standards and convictions.  The world’s view is “conforming” with an independent spirit, wrapped in a “me first” attitude, with a demanding and rebellious entitlement issue. A godly worldview is just the opposite.  It calls for spiritual-mindedness, the focus on the success of other’s and a mighty spirit dependent on someone bigger than ourselves.

 God wants each of us to be mighty in spirit…”To be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.”  One of the purposes in writing “The Princess Parable Series” was to help equip young moms to know how to build courage and “might” into the lives of their little princesses.

 To be mighty in spirit means we have a sense of our relationship with the God of the universe and we know His presence.  We are continually developing a fear of Him, which is a healthy understanding of the consequence of wrong choices and sin.  There is a requirement, with no compromise, to instantly respond to the initial promptings of God’s Spirit and to be alert to temptations and spiritual danger. 

 Learning to build our lives around basic scriptural principles and convictions is a given, no excuses; and knowing how to “bind Satan” with the springboard for prayer and rescue others from his grasp is a basic necessity.  When we teach our children to become wise and “mighty”, we realize the intense responsibility we have to be wise and mighty! 

 Are you “mighty in God’s Spirit”?

 We are in a battle for the minds and hearts of our children. 

Today is the day the battle stage is set for definitive action. 

Are you ready?  What will you do?

 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”

Zechariah 4: 6

~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 "Lest We Forget..."

Things to Remember as we face this new year:

The value of time.

The success of perseverance.

The pleasure of working.

The dignity of simplicity.

The worth of character.

The influence of example.

The obligation of duty.

The wisdom of economy.

The virtue of patience.

The improvement of talent.

The joy of originating.

The power of kindness.

 Whether you are a mother with active little ones or a grandmother facing life more simply; maybe you are a graduate student standing on the threshold of life or a seasoned adult facing life’s issues head on;  these resolutions resonate and summon the calling to value and give thanks for where we’ve been, what we learned and where we are headed. 

 Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?  You know, those hopes, dreams and aspirations projected into this future year?   I am reminded of what Tozer said, “Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will.  Refuse to be average or to surrender to the chill of your spiritual environment.” 

 What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline and a habit of making right choices that are in harmony with the will of God.  God has a plan for our lives this year.  “To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge! To do the will of God is the greatest achievement!” G.Christian Weiss

 This year holds the possibilities and opportunities that will define us.  We are stewards of this life entrusted to us. “Life is a stewardship, not an ownership.  It’s a trust, not a gift.  With a gift you can do with whatever you please, but, with a trust…you must give an account!”

Let’s make this year count…

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

Jackie's Journey "It's My Choice!"

“I CHOOSE”

 It’s quiet.  It’s early.  My coffee is hot.

The sky is still black.  The world is still asleep.

The day is coming.  In a few moments the day will arrive.

It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun.

The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day.

The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace

Of the human race.

The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met…agendas and schedules…

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. 

It is NOW that I must make a choice.

And so, I choose.

 I CHOOSE LOVE…

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.  Hatred means to love less.  I will give love freely with my motive to receive NOTHING in return.  I choose love.  Today I will love God and what HE loves. (I Cor. 13:3)

 I CHOOSE JOY…

I receive JOY when I give Love away.  Joyfulness is the spontaneous enthusiasm of my spirit when I am in fellowship with God. I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.  I will see interruptions as opportunities in all the chaos around me.  I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker.  I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.  I will refuse to see any problem or situation as anything less than an opportunity to see God. I choose to get in harmony with HIM and HIS will.  (Psa. 16:11)

 I CHOOSE PEACE…

I will live forgiven.  I will forgive so that I may live.  I will allow peace to govern me today. Great peace has those who love His law and NOTHING will offend them. (Psa. 119: 165)

 I CHOOSE PATIENCE…

I will overlook the inconveniences and conflicts the day presents.  I will accept any difficult situation from GOD without giving Him a deadline to remove it.  Rather than complaining that the wait is too long or chafing at an unexpected response from someone, I will thank God for a moment to pause and for a reminder to pray.  Instead of clinching my fist at my current obligations, I will face them with gratefulness and courage. (Rom. 5:3-4)

 I CHOOSE KINDNESS…

I will be kind to the unkind because HE was treated unkindly and I deserve no less.  I will be kind to the poor because they are alone.  I will be kind to the rich because they are afraid.  I will invest whatever is necessary to heal the hurt of others. Kindness is an act. (! Jn. 3: 17)

 I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…

Nothing is won by force or coercion.  I choose to show personal care and concern in meeting the needs of others.  If I raise my voice, may it be only praise.  If I clench my fist, may it be only a prayer.  If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. Gentleness is an attitude or manner. (I Thess. 2: 7)

 I CHOOSE GOODNESS…

I will see the goodness in others when it is hard to find.  I will confess before I accuse. I will walk in humility, which is the gas tank for the other qualities.

 I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…

Today I will keep my promises.  My spouse will not question my loyalty.  My children will never fear that their mom will not be there for them.  I will visualize God’s future in each life.  I will use difficult times to demonstrate my commitment to God and to those HE has called me to serve.  (Jn. 15:13)

 I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL…

I am a spiritual being.  After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.  I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.  I choose to be instantly obedient to the initial promptings of God’ Spirit.  I choose God-control. (Gal. 5: 24-25)

 To this I commit my day…understanding that my choice indicates that either I have ALL of them or that I have NONE of them. This is not a smorgasbord!  If I succeed, I will praise HIS Name and give thanks.  If I fail, I will seek God’s face in repentance, with the reminder to keep shorter accounts with HIM.

Will you join 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 "Christmas Surrender!"

In The Princess Parable Series, “A Royal Christmas to Remember” our five princesses are faced with exercising their loyalty in ways that resonate with us as mom’s during this time of year. 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 2024 is closing down…how did you do in your surrender to Him this year?

 Genuine Christianity is an unconditional surrender to His Lordship.

 Years ago, while attending the University of Arizona, I was faced with confronting my true loyalties in one of the most challenging seasons of my life.  I was invited to join a highly respected 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 repeating a “pledge of our loyalty” and unconditional allegiance to the group…

 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 the God of the universe in a personal way through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Now, standing behind that veiled curtain, listening to the call to Theta loyalty, I was profoundly struck with the words and realized I had already given my total allegiance to the beloved 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.

This time of year calls our attention to the things most important to us.

 Where do our loyalties lie…

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 "The Joy of Giving!"

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. Christmas, after-all, is in two weeks! 

 In The Princess Parable  Series, “The Royal Christmas to Remember” seasonal book finds our princesses pre-occupied and ecstatic about opening all their presents on Christmas morning.  Their frivolous chatter was checked by their father, the King, reminding them that giving and sharing is necessary to being a true princess. He would say, ”Be on guard against all kinds of greed, we are stewards of what we have been given”.

 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 regarding money in Matthew 25: 14-30. 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 responsibility.  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 princesses learn that stewardship involves giving and it is far more rewarding than receiving!

 The second money management tenet is that God uses money as a tool to teach us, as a test of our trustworthiness and as 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. “What is Christmas without sharing and giving?”, the King told his 5 princesses, as they packed up their decorations to carry them to the town to replace all that had been destroyed by a band of outlaws that Christmas Eve!

 My husband 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 only two weeks before Christmas!

 Our stewardship of His resources will come into full view…

 How are we doing?

~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 "Freedom is Not Free!"

In The Princess Parable books, each of the five princesses is encouraged to learn and take the responsibility given her. We see this lesson of personal responsibility in ways that resonate with us as mothers.

This week, as we approach a critical election season in America, we have a great responsibility as not just Americans, but Bible-believing Christians to stand up for biblical truth, faith and righteousness.  “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” Proverbs 29: 2

 Tomorrow is Election Day!  We have the privilege of going to the polls and voting for our values.  We have veterans who have put their lives on the line to maintain the freedoms we greedily enjoy. We are a nation where our people are groaning.  Everything that has made America strong is being dismantled and if never before, we have an obligation to do what we can to preserve this great country.

 November 5th, 2024 is a day of reckoning…

join me… let’s get out and vote…

~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 "Buckle Up for the Ride!"

Do you ever feel like you just can’t go on?  A bit overwhelmed and stressed with the every-day’s demanding responsibilities, eventful family matters, disturbing health issues, wavering and unresolved relationships, weighty decisions that need to be made now, current world events make that global, conditions….?  

 Do you grow faint?  Are you “keeping on keeping on”, stumbling along the way?

 While living in the Darien jungle, we were not aware that for two years there was a plot to kill us!  We lived in a very remote area and the discovery of our bodies would have never been found.  Upon learning of the plan, my head began to spin.  I looked across the room at my two  beautiful little girls and reality came tumbling into my consciousness like a fast-approaching hurricane!  Fight or Flight…there was no escape…

 …Talk about growing faint!

 Jeremiah, “the weeping prophet”, faced a similar conspiracy and he wrote:

 “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,

how can you compete with horses?

If you stumble in safe country,

how will you manage in the thickets by Jordan?”

 If we grow faint with lesser trials and feel like quitting, what will we do when the battle gets even harder?  The river Jordan in flood stage overflowed its banks into a plain that grew up into a dense thicket!  Pictured in this verse is their invaders overwhelming the land like a flood. We, like Jeremiah, need to be ready to deal with tougher times.  “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!”  Prov. 10:24  He makes His strength perfect in our weakness.  We have to get out of the way and let Him take control!  Where is your confidence right now?

 Jeremiah knew the scheme the people of Anathoth had against him to kill him, because God had told him. Like many of us, he wanted to know “why the wicked escape for a time unscathed and appear to prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” Jer. 12: 1

 Do you ever ask yourself that?  Why me?

 God’s answer was simply, “Buckle up, Jeremiah, your life, as a prophet of my truth, has yet to see my nature revealed!  I have the plan…albeit, a longsuffering one…I am forever looking for repentance and a yieldedness to My will, unlike the rebellious and defiant ones.” (Paraphrased)

 Our Challenge:

  “If we falter in times of trouble,

 how small is our strength!”

Prov. 10:24

~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 "When Life Seems Impossible...What Do You Do?"

Someone recently asked me, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?”  “Prayer is the preface to the book of Christian living, the text of new life testimony, the girding of the armor for battle, the pilgrim’s preparation for his journey, and it must be supplemented by action or it amounts to nothing!”  The fact that Satan laughs at our striving, but trembles when he sees the weakest believer on his knees, should tell us how important prayer is!

 “We know that nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.”  To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. One of the functions of prayer is to set God at the center of our attention.   Prayer is, then,the world in tune.  It is the gymnasium of the soul. 

 How active is your prayer life?

 “Whoever only speaks OF God, but never or seldom TO God, easily yields body and soul to idols.  The Christian, thus places his whole future in jeopardy by a stunted prayer life”.  Talking to men for God  is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still. If we are too busy to pray, we are too busy!

 When life seems impossible, what do we do?  We pray!  We know that prayer does not influence God’s purposes, but it does influence His action:

 I asked for strength that I might achieve;

HE made me weak that I might obey.

 I asked for health that I might do great things;

I was given grace that I might do better things.

 I asked for riches that I might be happy;

I was given poverty that I might be wiser.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I received nothing I asked for, yet, more than all that I hoped for.

My prayer was answered!

~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 Sixty Year Journey!"

My husband’s birthday was yesterday!  Our 60th wedding anniversary was a few weeks ago. A lifetime of memories and markers.  My parents were married 74 years and Ralph’s parents were married 47 years, so… 60 years did not seem inordinately long and I looked forward to many more years…but God had a better plan.

 I met my Prince at Bob Jones University and if you were to ask our college friends, they would be astounded that we are celebrating 60 years!  Most did not give us two years!  Ralph and I were polar opposites in almost every way.  However, we had the one element in marriage that will guarantee longevity…we were both individually committed to “burn out” serving God wherever He led us.  My husband’s godly zeal and spiritual leadership in our home was always preeminent and a constant for the last 60 years!

 I was blessed with a man who loved me unconditionally and when he said, “For better or worse”…he meant it.  We weathered the storms of life with near death experiences more than once and his loyalty to me and to God was unwavering. “Deference living” rather than compromise, was a key to our taking our two wills and finding harmony in God’s will.

 Ralph’s name means “bold counselor” and that he was…a man of daring motion and direction.  He was once told he was “an afflicter of the comfortable and a comfort to the afflicted”.  I could write a book with all his wise one-liners, biblical formulas and scriptural definitions.  His capacity to see things in Scripture and interpret them from “inside out” to give a total new look at a familiar verse was uncanny.

 Christian missionaries are people whose passion is to make the Lord Jesus known to the whole world.  They are completely under the command of King Jesus (my Paratrooper husband would roll out of bed, stand at attention and salute heavenward, committing his day!) and missionaries will go anywhere, under any circumstances, for no pay, with poor living conditions and food, even though no one ever notices.  They know their Sovereign Lord is watching every minute and that is the only reward and joy they seek…a true missionary is someone who will risk everything for the sake of the lost of this world.  This was my husband.

 We have a precious heritage that is a loving reminder of his loyalty to God and his responsibility into the third and fourth generations.

God’s faithfulness…

 If we had these 60 years to do over again, we would like to serve more and better, as we were bought with the price of His blood. Rom. 6: 16-18 says, “We were slaves of sin and now are slaves of righteousness.”  God called my Ralph home in February, so… it’s just me now…and I work daily on being a better slave!

 However impressive or challenging your marriage may be,

 It is the genuine proof of the degree of your loyalty 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.