Queen Jen's Gems

Have you ever tried to take steps forward while looking back? How did that go? Probably not too well, huh? Chances are you probably almost ran into something or someone or you went in the wrong direction. Now every and then, we may take a quick glance behind us, but then we keep going. We don't need to stare too long at what's behind us though. Staring too long at what's behind us can have severe consequences. In Genesis 19:15-26, we see a situation in which looking back caused severe consequences for an individual. So let's take a look! In Genesis 19:15, we see an instruction given to a man named Lot that he was to get his wife and daughters out of the city they were living in because it was about to be destroyed. The city, Sodom and Gomorrah, was wicked and the people living there were doing wicked and evil things. God had enough of the evil and the city was about to be destroyed. However, God wanted Lot's family to get out before that happened. Look at God's ...

The smile. The hug. The handshake. The compliment. The unexpected visit or call from someone saying hi and I'm thinking of you. A day that may not be going the best or a person who is not feeling their best can suddenly be changed in a positive way because of the little things. I have been encouraged by the little things and I'm sure you have as well. I'm learning to appreciate them more and more and do them for other people. The little things can make a big difference. It's all about how we take time to notice and look at our day. We need to take time to notice the wind blowing at just the right time, fresh air, flowers blooming, the sun shining (even when it's real hot!), air conditioning, a butterfly flying by, the grass underneath our feet as we walk. We also need to take time to notice that someone said hi to us, held the door open for us or used good manners. We need to take time to be thankful for life itself. All of these are great reasons to give thanks! Sa...

When was the last time you dressed up real fancy? Maybe it was this week, last week, last month, or even longer. Maybe it was for a wedding, graduation, church occasion, birthday celebration, special dinner, Prom, going to see a Broadway play. How did you feel when you got all dressed up? Happy? Excited? Nervous? Confident? Worried? A little bit of everything? Now, I'm sure after you got all dressed up that you took extra caution to make sure that your outfit stayed looking nice the whole time (especially if it was brand new!). I'm sure you also avoided anything that would cause your outfit to get snags, rips, tears, stains, or spills on it. I'm sure you did your best to keep it blemish-free. Depending on the occasion, that could be tough to do, especially if there's chocolate cake or red punch involved and you're wearing white! Well, just like we make sure that our physical appearance stays looking nice, we should dress up the inside of our heart too. We should kee...

Take a minute and think about the friends that are in your life right now. What makes them a friend? How would you describe them? As you think about your current friends, let me share with you what the definition of a friend is. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a friend is defined as a person whom one knows, likes and trusts. Does that sound like the friends you have? We should enjoy being around our friends, not dreading the time we have with them. We should be excited when we get to talk and hang out with them. Our friends should be supportive and encouraging to us and we should support and encourage them as well. We should pray for our friends and want to see the best for them. They should pray for us and want to see the best for us. If we have friends who want to see our downfall, stay stuck in the past and not get better or move forward, then that's not a friend! Friends understand that none of us are perfect, but love us in spite of our mistakes and wrong choice...