Queen Jen's Gems

 Have you ever taken a stroll before? Have you ever taken a walk through a park, nature trail, the neighborhood or perhaps your own backyard? While you were on your stroll, did you stop to take in all that was around you? Did you stop to appreciate the sights and sounds? Perhaps you were walking with other people. Did you stop to appreciate the time you were spending with them? Here we are, near the end of 2021 and a lot has happened! There were rough days, but also really good days and bright spots. Today, I want to take a few moments to stroll down memory lane of my 2021. As you take a stroll with me, I hope you are encouraged to take a stroll down your 2021.  At the beginning of my 2021, I took my last class for my Master's degree. It was the student teaching/internship part. I spent January- April of this year hanging out with the coolest 2nd grade students I know 😀. I learned so much in that time and had a lot of fun! I saw growth in myself over those 3 months. I'm grate...

 We are currently in the season where there is more emphasis on doing good. However, we should focus on goodness all-year round. Today I want to talk to you about thinking, being and doing good. What has been on your mind lately? We are always thinking about something. Our thoughts do matter and are very important. Our thoughts lead to the words we say and actions we make. We should constantly check our thoughts. We need to make sure they are positive and line up with God's Word. Now I know this is not always easy as things around us can look very discouraging, but we have to keep working on it. In order to know if our thoughts line up with God's Word, we must know what the Word says. That means we must take time to read and study the truth of God's Word, so we'll know what we should be thinking. Philippians 4:8 tells us exactly what thoughts we should allow to stay in our mind. Thoughts that are going to help and uplift us are what we should concentrate on. Thoughts th...