Queenies Little Kingdom

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. It was more like chaos and confusion than a safe-haven. I learned some of the hardest lessons during that time. Trust, forgiveness and unconditional love were foreign to me. I still carry a lot of the scars from that life even though I’ve been a Christian for 27 years. My habits, my personality, my upbringing still stick with me in many ways. I can feel the negative effect they have on me when I’m weak. I’ll call it, the pit. It’s where I don’t want to be and I bet if I asked you….you’d say the same about something in your past too. Isn’t satan crafty?

I’ve met other women that have been stuck in the pit. Maybe it was a childhood of sexual abuse that led them there or the loss of a loved one. Either way, they were trapped and held hostage by the enemy pit. I have a friend that deals with migraines. She’s been pretty much held prisoner by these headaches for all of her adult life. When I spent time talking with her…..I found she was also mistreated as a child and then went on to marry a very unloving and cold husband. She was in a pit! Not only was she in it….but she felt she could never get out. To aggrevate the situation even further her adult children live their lives totally contrary to what God expects of them. To say she feels a bit hopeless would be an understatement. The pit! It’s slimy and dangerous!

My own pit encounter’s have been many. You’d think it wouldn’t be so easy to fall into one, but that’s not so. Each of us are susceptible to them. Some believe that depression is just a pit. While I think it can be, I do believe that depression is a REAL thing and if you’re in it….get medical help. God has provided us that help and we should utilize it for our benefit. The same goes for counseling. There used to be such a negative stigma linked to seeking help that way. Nonsense! I have met some amazing Christian counselor’s over the years and I know many who have made major life changes through the help of a counselor. Sometimes just finding a mentor to talk to can help. I’ve had that too. Seek out someone wiser and trustworthy if you can’t afford counseling.

What are some ways to fall into the pit? See if any of these describe something you have felt in your life. Friend, if you are a pit-dweller….I pray that you will see it and grab ahold of something now to get out. I love the words of David in Psalm 40:2, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand”. Oh yes, He did! And He will for you too.

Pit Makers!
Growing up in an alcoholic/drug abuser home
Losing a child
Watching a loved one suffer
Divorce/rejection/extramarital affair
Sexual abuse/rape
Mental illness
Physical/emotional abuse
Dysfunctional home
Birth of a handicapped child
Financial ruin/bankruptcy/job loss
Watching someone you love go to jail/prison

Lord Jesus,
I pray for my friend reading this post that feels like they’ve fallen in the pit and can’t escape. I know through you and your power that no pit can hold her. God pull her out and fill her with your hope. Let her feel your unconditional love and grace on her life. You Lord do lift us up and set us on firm ground. Thank you Jesus!
Amen.

We don’t usually take Sunday pictures….except on Easter and then we usually forget and have to get dressed again. Not always, but it has happened. Today we remembered and here’s the proof. I hope you enjoy them. Church was awesome! Celebrating a Risen Savior is worth all the praise and worship. Pastor Bob has such a great heart for sharing the good news. We love him and we pray God blesses him and his family. We understand how difficult his job can be. He makes it look easy….but we know otherwise.

Thank you Jesus! Your death means we have eternal life with you. Something we do not deserve. You are our King! Forever!

Everytime I hear this sermon……I laugh, I cry…..I realize my God just can’t be put in a box. Pastor SM Lockridge brings down the house with his interpretation of who Jesus is!
Listen & watch! And be prepared to feel it!

HE IS RISEN!! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!

I’ve been watching the news a little tonight and as usual it’s bad news everywhere you turn. We have an American cargo ship that has been taken over by pirates out in the Indian Ocean (first time in over 200 years that any American ship has been hijacked). As I’m typing the military big dogs have arrived on the scene and are hopefully going to take some serious action. May we lift this captain up to God that he would be safe and rescued very soon.

A sweet little girl is captured on surveillance video skipping along the street in what appears to be her neighborhood. But the scene is surreal to watch because the news that follows is that this is the last known whereabouts of this child. Until now, her murdered body has been recovered not too far away. Such horror! Why?

Then I watch as the President shares his lack of intelligence once again by telling the world “America is not a Christian nation”. Nothing he says or does surprises me. He is zinging out some of the craziest stuff and liberals all over our country are praising him and eating it up. They cannot stop mentioning what a mess that George W. Bush singlehandedly caused for all of America. Yea, it’s all his fault! Duh! Everyday I pray that Jesus comes back soon. I’m ready, are you?

Friends, we have to pray for our nation. We must bathe this country and it’s leaders in prayer every single day. Our very lives are depending on it. Where are we heading? What is going to happen next? These days are just getting crazier and crazier. Our God can redeem all that sin smears with it’s ugliness. But we have to seek Him….together.
It’s truly crazy times!

One of the greatest news channel’s out there?! Fox News.

I haven’t talked about this topic on my blog before….but I feel it’s a good time to share. I was privileged to be one and if I could encourage anyone out there to do it, here me out ladies. Do it! Be a stay at home mom! Now, I know what you’re thinking…I can’t afford it! And in today’s society….it’s crazy I know and seemingly impossible. But really….it can be done.

My first year of marriage began with a baby. Yes, I had a baby within that first year of wedded bliss. It was scary! I liked being independant and I knew that this was a crash course in growing up whether I wanted to or not. I had to get serious about my future immediately. I was 23 and still not quite prepared for what was to come. God knew and took great mercy on me and provided just what I needed to make it. An encouraging family.

We hadn’t even bought a house yet. We were living like “newlyweds” literally. We had an apartment, hubby worked as a policeman crazy shift hours and I was substitute teaching school ( I was supposed to be finishing my degree). I was foolishly living as if…..I had all the time in the world to get serious! Duh! Girls….DON’T DO THAT!

That first baby changed my world forever. I knew that everything else I had to do came after him. He was precious and he was mine. God picked me to be his mama. There was just no way for me to hand him over to a sitter. Mostly because I was nursing him, but my heart couldn’t have stood it anyway. He and I were a bonded unit. As he grew into an older baby, we would laugh about how he didn’t want anyone but his mama…not even his daddy. As soon as he would realize he wasn’t in his mama’s arms he would go crazy (sort of like that baby on that 90’s show The Dinosaurs….”Not the mama!”). It was clear, I was the one he needed and God made a way for me to be that.

We really wanted more children but didn’t have the insurance to cover another pregnancy. I went to work for the state health department (best insurance ever) just so I could have another baby. It wasn’t long and I was pregnant with Ally. I worked up to her birth so I could have time built up to last me as long as possible. I was off with her for six months and then went back part-time for almost 2 weeks. Hubby called me and said, “Come home!”. I resigned right then. It was the best decision I could have ever made. I wasn’t home long when I found out I was pregnant with baby #3. Yea….it was a busy time.

I spent the rest of my days being the mom my kids needed. I’ve heard other mom’s say they couldn’t take being home with kids. I couldn’t take leaving mine. I didn’t want to miss anything. I loved taking care of them. I knew everything about them and I didn’t mind doing what it took to make them happy. Who else would invest in them like me? I loved them and wanted to make their life perfect. I realized I only had a certain amount of time with them. How could I pass it off on someone else? They were entrusted to me!

I used to think… someday, they will be grown and I don’t want to regret any time wasted. Today when I look at them (teenagers) I see the product of me being the mom God called me to be. They are terrific. Not perfect (cause I’m certainly a flawed gal) but they are all the things and more that I ever dreamed they would be. I am overwhelmed by God’s grace in my parenting outcome. I owe Him all the credit for anything good that results from my children’s lives. Really!

Here’s a few things that mattered to me and why staying home meant so much.

–God. Hubby and I felt that it was our first priority to teach our kids about God and His love for them.
–Our calling. Taking care of their spiritual needs was our responsibility…not anyone else’s.
–Safety. We knew that in my care our kids would receive the best. I would do things that a sitter would never do. I would protect them from harm and I would go the extra step to make them happy. So many parents have experienced poor childcare and even abuse (physical as well as sexual). That was something I could never live with.
–Their future. The people we prayed for them to one day be. We realized that we played an important part in creating productive adults for our world by what was going on in our home. We wanted to teach them to love other’s, treat people with respect, and live a life of integrity. This would be not only a lifestyle model but daily training.
–Financially. By the time we were finished having our babies…there were three of them all under 4. Can you say chaching$$ childcare costs? There was no way to afford that much in caring for all of them realistically. It was not wise to work for peanuts, people. We made a choice! We were frugal and it worked.
–Happiness factor. It was what worked for our family. Me being home was vital to the success of our family. This put hubby in a position to do his part and not worry about who, what, when and where. He provided and didn’t live stressed out trying to make sure everyone else was taken care of. He knew I was on it. Plus, I could take good care of him (and this always makes him happy). Husbands need wives that are purposed. I felt God had called me to be a good wife and mom (and I really wanted to succeed at it). Yes, I am human and learned many things the hard way.

I cannot judge anyone who does not or cannot stay home with their children. That’s not my position here. I simply want to say that it will be the best investment of your life if you do. I am proof that it works. Dr. Laura has a new book out, In Praise of Stay at Home Moms. What a great idea. Let’s praise these women! It is a sacrifice that they will forever benefit from. I promise!

I bet you can think of a time or two when you’ve been less than honest. Everybody’s done it. Told a little half-truth or possibly even a big fat lie. We are human afterall. It’s one of those things that impacts each of us in some way or another. I have never felt good about lying. I grew up in a home where lies were spoken without even the slightest thought. Forever I am touched by that. Honesty, trust, faith in what someone says matters to me.

Lying destroys our credibility. Everytime you speak dishonestly, you set yourself up to sin further and with more ease. Lies have destroyed marriages, family relationships, friendships, careers, and countless other things in the lives of people. There is never a good reason to lie. Lying goes directly against what scripture says. Proverbs 12:22 says, “The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth”. That whole detesting thing? I don’t want that word linked up with anything my Lord feels about me. So … lying just cannot be.

When I think of lying, I’m reminded of Ananias and Sapphira. They really thought they could get away with their little lie. I mean, who would know? Well, I’ll tell you. God would. Just like He knows when you or I decide to lie. They had dishonesty in their heart and acted further on it. That’s what sin does. It gets easier the more we do it. God didn’t let them get away with the lies. He struck them both down for it. Thankfully he doesn’t quite handle you and I like that. But we should surely take his stance on lying more seriously.

I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit and it’s conviction over my heart. When I have spoken a lie…..the conviction does not go away until I get it right. Thank you God for that, even though it can be embarrassing or troublesome. I would rather live at peace with God than be in turmoil for my lying tongue. What about you? Do you feel strongly about lying? Is it something you take seriously? Or is it one of those….oh it’s no big deal things?

Remember, even little white lies are real lies to God.