Queen Jen's Gems

To hold on to something. To keep it close. To not let go. When we embrace someone or something, we hold them close to us. What or who we embrace is usually very important to us. They have significance and mean a lot. We can hold on to a lot of things, but are we holding on to the right things? Is what we're embracing helping us or hurting us? Encouraging us or discouraging us? Every day, we have to ask ourselves if what we're holding on to is really worth it. At the end of the day, some things are really just not worth holding on to. It's not worth holding on to jealousy, complaining, bitterness, grudges, worry, the past, wrong patterns of thinking. These need to be released daily. The longer we hold on to them, the longer we are hurting ourselves. When these are released and let go, they need to be replaced with something positive and good. Releasing the wrong makes room to embrace what's right. In the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3 talks about there being a time and season...

"Thank you. "You're welcome." "Please." "May I?" "Excuse me. "All phrases that seem not to be heard as much in society as they should. I've seen this with all ages! The phrases mentioned above only take a couple of seconds to say, yet so many people choose not to. It is a choice. At a very early age, children should be taught to use their manners. As they get older, it should grow up with them in the hopes that they will continue to use their manners. Using good manners shows respect. When someone gives you something or helps you with something, you should say thank you. When someone tells you thank you, you should say you're welcome. When you have a request and would like something, you should start with "May I?" and add please on the end. When you need to get by someone or need to interrupt a conversation, you should say, "Excuse me." Now I need to pause right here to say something very important: we have to...

When was the last time you waved or said hi to your neighbor? Today? Yesterday? Last week? Last month? Last year? You may be thinking that you haven't seen your neighbors in a long time or don't even know your neighbors well enough to say hi. You may even be thinking that you don't have anybody that lives real close to even consider them being a neighbor. Today, I want to challenge you to see beyond the neighbors that live next door and see people who cross your path as your neighbor. In the Bible, Jesus was asked by a man who is his neighbor. So, Jesus answered his question by telling a story. This story is called a parable. Parables were stories that Jesus told to groups of people to teach a spiritual lesson. I love how Jesus told parables! This particular parable that Jesus told is found in Luke 10:30-37. In the story, a man is traveling down the road when all of a sudden he is robbed, beat up and has his clothes taken from him by a group of thieves. They left him half d...

Storms. Some we see coming. Others seem to come out of nowhere and catch us by surprise. They come fast and unexpected. The storms of life can leave us wondering if we will even  make it through. The storms of life can leave us questioning everything and have us thinking what's next. Now I've had my share of life's storms, but the storm I am currently experiencing- Whew!! For those that may not know, my Mom passed away after a brief illness on January 18th of this year. My Dad passed away almost 17 years ago in April of 2002. Neither of my parents are here anymore. I miss them both so much! My brother and I are sticking together and doing the best we can. We are getting stronger as individuals and together. We have a big support system of family, friends and community of which we are most grateful and appreciative of. Thank you to all of you in our corner! During the time of my Mom's illness, I can look back now and see that God was preparing us. God prepares all of us ...

Have you ever looked at a garden real close before? As you looked at the garden, you may have noticed some flowers and plants that were just starting to bloom or had fully bloomed. Perhaps you saw the beginnings of a plant sprouting out of the soil. But, then as you kept looking closer at the garden, you may have also noticed some plants that looked like they didn't belong. Those were the weeds. Some of the weeds may have even gotten tangled up with the other plants and you couldn't tell the difference of which was a plant and which one wasn't. Stay with me...I'm going somewhere with this! In Matthew 13:3-9, Jesus tells a story of a farmer who went to plant seeds in his garden. Some fell on the path and the birds ate the seeds up immediately. It didn't even have time to make it to the soil! Then some seeds fell among rocks with only a little bit of soil. There was not enough to produce much of anything. What did sprout did not survive because too much sun came and t...

To do something with intention means to do it deliberately and on purpose. From the time we wake up in the morning to the minute we go to sleep at night, we need to know our life has purpose. Each day we live has a purpose. If we didn't have a purpose, God would not have allowed us to be here and live the days we have lived. As we go through our days, we need to keep in mind what we're doing and why we're doing it. Our "why" should stay in the front of our mind at all times. Knowing our "why" will help us live our life on purpose and for a purpose. Knowing our "why" will help us make right decisions. Knowing our "why"will keep us focused on the right path. Every day, we need to ask ourselves questions, such as, "Why am I doing this?", "Why am I going here?", "Why am I saying this?" and "Why am I hanging out with this person?" The answer to our "why" should be to honor God, others and o...

Hi everyone! I'm back! I've missed you all! Before I share today's message with you, I need to share something with you. Since my last blog post about "Love," I've been going through one of the hardest seasons of my life. After a brief illness, my Mom passed away and went to be with the Lord on January 18. Continue to keep my family and I in your prayers. God continues to give us strength and joy in the midst of it all. For today's message...it's all about saying no. "No." It's a two letter word, yet it has so much power. "No" is a complete sentence all by itself. When someone says no, that means he or she is not accepting something, not agreeing with someone or something, or choosing not to do something. Saying no will cause different responses from different people. Some will be okay with it. Some will be confused by it, but then let it go. Some will question your "no" and want you to explain why you answered the w...