Queen Jen's Gems

 Hello everyone! First, I have to say that I am loving this women of the Bible series I'm doing this month 💜!! I hope you have been encouraged by it as much as I have! So far, Esther and Elizabeth from the Bible have been highlighted. If you haven't checked out "A Voice of Hope" or "Favored and Faithful," be sure to go check them out 😊.  This week, I take us back to the New Testament and highlight a woman and her giving. We don't know her name. We do know she's a widow and she's poor. I do know a widow is a woman whose husband has passed away. She knows what it's like to experience grief and loss in her life and not have a lot of money. We find the widow woman in Mark 12:41-44. Jesus was watching people give their offering to the temple (church). There was a crowd of people there. Lots of rich people were putting in large amounts of money (v. 41). In verse 42, we see the widow enter and give two copper coins. It even mentions it's small...

 Hello everyone! As we continue in the month of March, I am highlighting women in the Bible. Last week, I highlighted Esther and how she was a voice of hope for her people 💗. Go check out the post if you haven't yet. Today, I want to take us to the New Testament and highlight a woman by the name of Elizabeth 😊. She was the wife of Zechariah, who was a priest. Both were obedient and lived to please God. However, Elizabeth was not able to have a child. Both were older in age (Luke 1:5-7). One day while Zechariah was serving in the church, an angel appeared to him and reminded him that his prayers had been heard. His wife Elizabeth would have a son, and he was to be called John. The angel went on to say what John's purpose and impact would be (Luke 1:11-17). Zechariah was not sure about the news because of their age, but the angel reassured him that he was sent by God to share the good news (Luke 1:19-20). We see in verse 24 that Elizabeth indeed becomes pregnant! That truly is ...

 Our voice is powerful! Our words can be used for good or bad. Our words can be used to encourage or discourage. Our words can help or hurt. Our words can make the difference in someone giving up or going on. Our words have the power to change a situation. Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." We have to watch our words daily. The words we say to ourselves and others are important. In a world where there's a lot happening that is emotionally draining, we need remember to keep taking care of ourselves and hold on to hope. Today, I want to share with you about a queen in the Bible who was a voice of hope for her people.  She is one of my favorite women in the Bible! I'm talking about none other than Esther 😊. Esther's cousin Mordecai raised Esther like his own daughter after her mother and father passed away (Esther 2:7-8). Mordecai heard a message that all of his and Esther's people were go...

 When we search for something, we take a real close look at every space and place you can think of. We all have had the moment when we lost something and we look everywhere! We know we just had it! We may also retrace our steps and think of everything we did leading up to losing it. Sometimes, the item we're looking for is in a place we didn't think it would be. Other times, the item was sitting in a very  obvious place (our pocket or bag on us😀!) When we are searching, we may need to eliminate distractions and noise. We may need to sit or think in silence for a few minutes. In addition to physical spaces, there's somewhere else I encourage you to search today: your heart 💗. In fact, the end of the Scripture in Psalm 4:4 says, "Search your hearts and be silent." Too much noise may cause you not to focus as well. Too much noise may cause you not to think clearly. I know silence can be uncomfortable and we want to fill it really quick, but it can be good and neede...

 Where do you feel safe at? When do you feel safe? Who do you feel safe with? These are all questions we should ask ourselves on a daily basis 😊. Feeling safe is important to our well- being. Feeling physically and mentally safe means we feel protected and can be our genuine selves. A safe place is an environment where we feel free of judgement and feel at peace. A safe place will help us grow and thrive 💜. We can have authentic communication in that safe place. We don't have to hide our interests, mistakes, or dreams in that safe space. We can use our gifts and talents in that safe space. All of us should have at least one safe place in our lives. Safe places can be physical. My house is a safe space for me 😊. My comfy chair in my room is one of my favorite places to be as I read, write, talk on the phone, listen to music, pray or just sit in silence in it 💗. Another safe space for me is the library! It's one of my favorite places in the whole world 😊. On Valentine's ...

 Have you ever played the game "Telephone?" If you've never played it before (or need a reminder), it's a fun game that all ages can play! In the game, you stand in a line and someone at the beginning of the line is told a message. That person then tells the next person in line the message. That person passes it on to the next person and so forth. When it gets to the very end, that person shares the message aloud with everyone. Now, the message can't be repeated, so you have to listen carefully the first time it's said. Is the message at the end going to be the original? Usually not!! Sometimes, it's way off from the original message, while sometimes it's very close. I know it's just a game, but all of us at some point have not listened as closely as we should have. We could have been distracted or had our mind on something or thinking about our response in a conversation, so we didn't listen like we should have. When we listen carefully, we av...