Queenies Little Kingdom

Before I go any further, let me just say….I am not here to bash President elect Obama. I have no reason to get mean and ugly. I recognize full well what tomorrow’s inauguration means to all of America. This is of monumental accomplishment for all people of color across our nation. I, too celebrate that fact with America. How exciting this must be for this family at this time in our country. I can’t help but feel pride for them.

However, I am still the same me with the same values and beliefs that I was on November 4th’s election day. I am disappointed in the presidential selection and it’s not because he is a man of color. It has everything to do with his liberal stance on just about everything that matters to me as a Christian. I’ve yet to hear one bad thing about him from the liberal media. It’s as if he’s a god-like figure and all of America is bowing down to worship him. Again, I am not being mean-spirited here…..I am just blown away by the goo-goo behavior of so many intelligent people. What is that about? He hasn’t done ANYTHING to be graced with such awe! Except be black….and beat out a conservative war hero whose been around the political block a time or two. The things he’s done in his short political span….go against all that I stand for. Voting four different times FOR late term abortion? Eeek! Aye-yay yaye!

President Obama will go down as one of our most committed pro-abortion presidents, he’s in favor of most of the homosexual agenda, he’s already proven that his cabinet will be filled with people liberally loaded for bear (ie…Clinton era people) and you can take it to the bank that he will appoint the most liberal of them all as justices to the Supreme Court. Look out, Americans! It is certainly going to be a time of change. I’m sorry to say. President Obama has pledged that within the first few hours after his inauguration to sign executive orders to reverse the Bush administration’s policy limiting federal funding of human embryonic stem-cell research. He has also promised to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would affect a pro-abortion revolution in this nation(for more on the FOCA go here). This is not something I can be excited about or stand in awe and admiration of him for. It is a devastation!

I do not want to sound like a hater! I am certainly not that. I will continue to stand proud to be an American and to be a patriotic member of this free society. I vow to pray for this President and his family and the many decisions that will ultimately come his way. God is still on His throne (something that was said repeatedly during election time). His job is a tough one! No one man can please everyone all the time. But for our country……I pray that God will bless us and protect us in spite of our sin. We need Him more than ever.

As you watch with the rest of this great nation….our new president take his oath, pray! Pray for him and for our country.

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”

— President Thomas Jefferson

Everybody within a 3 state distance knows that I like me some days off. It’s been glorious having a three-day weekend. Unplanned of course! On Friday, the temperature was so low…..-4 to be exact….that we ended up with a no school day. It seems one of the elementary schools couldn’t get the heat on. So, NO SCHOOL! On a Friday?!?!! Woohoo, yeehaw! Yahoo! We took total advantage of it. We stayed home and hibernated!

Tomorrow is another story. It seems as though…we have to actually get up and get going. Absurd! The Nerve of those people! I am not one “to give an inch to” (you know that old…she’ll take a mile thing?). I get way too used to a good thing. Snow delay’s and day’s off…..totally warm my heart. I don’t care that my kids are all up in my business. I actually like having them around. They’re my people! We like home! It’s where the heart is, right?

We’ve had a great day today. Gavin’s girlfriend, Allison and Ally’s boyfriend, Tyler both came early this morning to go with us to the country church hubby preaches for an hour away. We surprised the congregation by filling up a few pews. They love it when we come out with him. It’s a sweet church. We came back home and feasted on baked spagetti, salad and garlic bread. If you have teenager’s then you know…..movies were next, and ballgames on tv. Then more food! The process just repeats itself. Until you make them all go home and yours go to bed. Ahh, the joys of being a mama. I just love it!

As I’m typing…I see the ground is blanketed with fresh snow. Maybe just maybe we’ll get a little delay in the morning. I could use some extra winks. How about you? If not, enjoy your Monday. Make it a point to smile and be happy (remember, there’s always someone worse off than you……REALLY). Don’t forget to let God work through you…..matter of fact, ask Him specifically to do just that. Scary, huh? I challenge you to offer yourself up to God and his service this week. There’s no better place to be…..than in His care.

1 John 5:15 “And if we know that He hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him”.

Tonight I’ve been reflecting on women who have influenced me. It caused me to think about my own life. Am I doing my part in that calling on my life? I have always had a passion for women. I can’t help but see what a person’s life could be. So many women are unhappy or miserable. It’s so easy to be disatisfied or disenchanted with what your life turns out like. I know this firsthand. I have found myself in that boat too. I’m perky, ya’ll! But I’m human! I, too, get bummed! Thankfully, God won’t let me stay there long and wallow. He sends His love somehow to this weary servant and I get a fresh perspective. Don’t ya just love that?

The odds were against me growing up. My mom loved me but she was not a Christian and her love was often very conditional. Depending on what good I was doing or how she was feeling at the moment was often the temperature of the love from her. She was not equipped in many ways to parent the way God expected of her. As I grew up I watched her behavior and felt sorry for her. Somehow I knew that God didn’t want me to act like that. I vowed to be a good mom….and I hope that someday, my kids will see that I tried to do just that. I wonder as I look into their eyes if they know what it could be like? Mom’s make mistakes! They fail! They fall short! I have tried to live a life that honors Christ….but many times I have failed and done so in front of my kids. God bless them for understanding forgiveness and granting it. God, you are so good!

I want to be a woman of influence. I want to inspire women to love Christ and follow Him with their whole hearts. If I had an audience of women to speak to right this moment I would tell them of some things I’ve learned along the way.

1) ABC– Accept Him, Believe He died for you, Confess your sins to Him! Be saved, sister!
2) STUDY-Read your Bible, do whatever it takes to know His word and hide it in your heart!
3) PRAY-Be a woman that spends time with God alone & quiet! Tell Him how great He is.
4) ADMIRE HIM-Be a woman of praise and adoration! Do and say things that honor him to other’s.
5) TEACH WHO HE IS TO YOUR CHILDREN-Be a woman that teaches who Jesus is and tell them how He loves them.
6) LOVE-Love other’s with a God-like love. Try to see them through His eyes (ours are very flawed).
7) FORGIVE-Just do it! People are going to hurt you, especially ones that you love. Let go of hurts! They will only cripple you and make you useless to God and the big picture.
8) LAUGH-Be happy about who you are in this world. God doesn’t make mistakes. When you’re tempted to be bummed or depressed….find a friend that makes you smile and hang on for dear life. It will pass!
9) BE A TEACHABLE PERSON-Nobody likes a Know-it-all! I’ve been known to be a bit knowy! Yes, it’s true! I have learned some valuable things from some very unsuspecting people. Thank you God. You are so wise!
10) LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING-Not just you…but the one’s you love. Your perspective seems to change. What if you never saw them again? Say what you want them to know today. Don’t hold it back.
11) TRUST GOD COMPLETELY-Don’t just say that you do. Really live as if you do. He is capable of handling everything. So let Him.

Proverbs 31:29-30 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman that fears the Lord is to be praised.”

If you live up north….above the Louisville, Kentucky line. There are a few things kids live for….and I have to say I’m right there with them. They are……School delay and snow day! Oh yea, we like to hear those words. If you have been watching the weather on the news then you know…..it’s gonna be a little chilly here in Indiana for the next few days. Colder than usual. Like below zero into the negatives. That kind of cold is a bit dangerous for little kids standing out at the bus stop. So in defense of school officials…we welcome a fabulous snow delay in the morning. We will have 2 extra hours to bebop around before school. Yahooooooo!
In the words of Donkey, “I’m makin waffles!”. Yes, a delay makes me that happy! Pathetic, I know. Don’t judge me! I love sleep, ya’ll! Oh and pajamas!

Wherever you are…I hope you are safe and warm. I especially hope you feel loved and adored. Cause that’s how God feels about you and surely your family does too. If you’re getting a little extra time tomorrow like us, ENJOY IT! Do something different and shake things up a bit. It’ll make a memory with those you love the most. 🙂

Wanna see what’s happening in my neck of the woods? Go here, WTHR-Indianapolis News. Right now, it’s 7 degrees here. Brrrr!

I can’t even describe it with words. It’ll never sound as exciting as it really is to me. American Idol is back on and I am PSYCHED! I’ve just finished watching it. I laughed and I cried. This happens to me every year. My family and I love this part of the season. We crack up over the funny people who try-out and sing like……well, like they can’t sing. Some of them are so sad (I have to say…I often feel compassion like Paula) I wish I could help them along. Oh the mercy they need.

Tonight was a great kick-off. The ending with the piano man, Scott…..totally touched my heart. I had to cry when he came out to his waiting family. What a cool way to end the show. Way to go, American Idol. I can’t wait for next week! Tomorrow will be fun at school, we (staff) love comparing the contestants during our lunch. We will do this all the way to the end. Really! Doesn’t everyone? I thought so.

Oh WHO will win?????

Have you ever gotten into trouble? Stupid question. Cause…I know that you have. We all have. It’s inevitable! Somehow, somewhere along the way…..you’ve gotten into trouble. On our way to church yesterday, Klove was playing a little news about kids. According to a survey that was done recently, children that live with both parents and attend church are less likely to get into trouble! Oh really…..we laughed and joked! Are you kidding me? Who knew? DUH! It seems that this sort of “set-up” has a positive influence on the kids involved and the parents don’t have to worry about those phone calls home from school officials. Well, golly! That’s good to know!

As we drove on…Gates piped up in the back, “Dad, why is it that kids can run up and down the halls at school acting terrible and cursing their heads off and I take a bottled drink from the cafeteria and I get caught?…..and punished?”. We laughed thinking back to her crime. She was busted not long after leaving the lunchroom with said drink in her purse. It cost her a “write-up” and the embarrassment that goes along with it. (For one of my kids…..it was worse than life in Alcatraz prison) Oh the humiliation! She might as well have cursed out the Principal by the way she felt about the whole ordeal. It was ugly! Painful! But a life lesson!

Hubby responded with some good stuff. He told her how God doesn’t want her to make wrong choices. Oftentimes, he sends someone just for the purpose of holding us accountable. Then I thought about how the Holy Spirit works. That weird conviction feeling…..is the Holy Spirit! It might be a nudge or a full-on panic attack reminding you of what you’ve done wrong. Either way, God doesn’t want you to live in your sin state. So, you feel bothered by your wrong. If you don’t feel bothered…..you might want to investigate WHY?! Do a little heart monitoring.

Today during my lunch. Ally came into the teacher’s lounge…..”Mom, we have a problem. Can you come out in the hall now?”. As the door opens I see her sweet BFF, Taylor….red-faced and shaking. I ask, what is wrong and she tells me through her tears that Mrs. Martin took her cell phone away. She’s an assistant to this teacher during that period and at the beginning of class she had all the students turn off their phones. Taylor thought hers was already off, minutes into the class she was looking through her purse for her calculator and noticed her phone was on and a message had come through to her. She panicked and turned it off (and that’s when….it made a noise!). Mrs. Martin then took it away….thinking Taylor was up to something. She was so worried that she was going to have a write-up, detention, to call her mom to come pick it up….that she was going to jail (no, I just made that last one up). She was just a mess!

That’s how it is with sin. A big mess! It wrecks lives. As Christians, we cannot just live willy-nilly any old way. We have to stay on top of things. Mistakes can happen in an instant. I love that new Casting Crowns song, O Be careful little eyes what you see….. It’s so easy to get into trouble. Satan is prowling around looking for ways to trip us up. We can laugh about little issues that seem huge to kids (by the way….Mrs. Martin gave Taylor back her phone!) but as we grow the trouble grows as well. I pray that the Holy Spirit never leaves me alone in my sin (nor you). If I’m wrong……I don’t want to feel any peace about it. I beg the Lord to pierce my heart until I right it. I welcome the embarrassment that comes from being caught. I don’t want to get into trouble with God. Do you?

Proverbs 5:21-23 “For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.”