Queen Jen's Gems

 You are so close. You're almost there! For some, it's almost time for another school year or college semester to end. For others, it's almost time for graduation from one level of schooling to the next. For all of us, it's almost time for a season change with summer right around the corner. The key word in all that was said above is "almost." We all know about that "almost" space. The almost is that in-between space. It's that not yet phase where you are expecting and know something is about to happen, but it hasn't happened yet. We can get anxious in that space. We can also get weary and tired. Feelings of doubt, discouragement and what-ifs of finishing may start to creep in that space. It's easy to let our guard down and let those feelings dwell longer than necessary ( I know I have!), but we can't. We have to remind ourselves of our "why" and why we started. We can finish. And not just finish, but we can finish strong. W...

 If you have any sort of electronic device at all, then chances are you know of or you have heard the word "app" said before. Apps are found on cell phones, tablets and iPads. Some apps are already pre-downloaded on our devices while others have to be downloaded by us. The word app is short for "application." It is a type of software that you can access on your device and use the Internet with. There are many different apps available for us to use. There are apps for social media, exercise, weather, games, coloring, the Bible and the list goes on and on. It is a shortcut to access resources and receive information quickly. At the click of an app, you can see the most recent post on your social media timeline, the current temperature outside, and play your favorite game as many times as you want. At some point, the question may have been asked about a particular topic, "Is there an app for that?" Now, apps can be very useful. But at the same time, having do...

 It protects. It covers. It defends. It needs to be held close. It needs to be carried at all times to all places. It needs to be used every day. I'm talking about none other than the shield of faith described in Ephesians 6. In verses 11-17 of Ephesians 6, Paul talks about the spiritual armor we should be wearing daily. Now we should wear all of these, but today I want to focus in particular on Ephesians 6:16. It says, "In every situation, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." I love how the verse begins with in every situation. That means whether the situation is good or bad, we need our shield. In moments of heartache and joy, we need our shield. In moments of breakdown and breakthrough, we need our shield. In moments of frustration and favor, we need our shield. And not just any shield....we need our shield of faith! Faith is believing in God. It's believing who He is and what He can do. It's believi...