Queenies Little Kingdom

Time alone with God

Laughing with my kids

My husband

Fun shopping trips

Going to the beach

Vacation

Friends

Chocolate

Music

Sleep

Deep and personal conversation

Seeing God at work (in other’s, myself and in my surroundings)

Church

Strong speakers (theologians, Bible teacher’s and ministers)

Yummy meals

Feeling satisfied or at peace

I hope you have a list of favorites too. These are all simple things. But each one something that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I’m thankful when any of them are part of my day. I try to focus on things like this when I’m facing difficulties. It helps put me in a positive mood and reminds me….I have so much to be thankful for. What about you?

Book Room Reviews Book Giveaway Carnival

I love giveaway’s! Ahh but you already knew that if you read my blog. I’m crazy about winning and giving away. It’s just in my blood. I am slow to join up today….I’ve had some fun t-shirt crafting to do with my girls. All’s finished there, so here I am. Looking for some book loving visitors to come along and play.

What is on my list? Well….a little of this and a little of that. See for yourself.

Simple Ideas for Healthy Living (First place 4 health book)
First Place 4 Health

Through the Storm by Lynne Spears

Abundant Gifts (a devotional by Diane Eble)

How to play, you ask? Well. Drop me a little comment here…let me know what you’re most interested in. Are you looking to get fit? Are you curious about the Spears family? Or could you use a good devotional book? Just say which. That’s it! Contest runs through Saturday, March 7th. I will choose randomly three lucky winners and announce it Sunday afternoon. Good luck! Oh and don’t forget to check out all the other book giveaway’s going on over at Tracy’s awesome blog, Book Room Reviews.

It’s been a busy weekend for Ally and Gavin. Ally performed all weekend in the musical The Buddy Holly Story. They had a show Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all of which were past sold out. So cool, huh? She played two roles. First she was in the opening scene as a skate party teen where she bopped around with some other rock-n-roll loving teens. Then in the last scene she sang in an up and coming group known as Jack Daws and the Snowbirds. It was great! The cast was fabulous! Most of which were teenagers. Very impressive.

Gavin has been gone the entire weekend only coming in to fall into bed and sleep (a little bit) before heading out again. Saturday he spent the day in Muncy Indiana(Ball State) at the state’s German club convention (Staatskrongresse). He competed in several competitions and placed second in geographie, second in diktatur 3, and third in cultural craft. He had a great time even though he had to get up at 5:20am to catch the bus on a Saturday morning. He really admires Mr. Jaquess his German teacher. Gavin is the president of German club. Anything to do with German….he loves. Especially, BMW! Go figure.

Then he spent Sunday at IU in Bloomington performing at the girl’s basketball game. He was invited as part of the Head to the Hall celebration. High school band members from all over Indiana have a chance to play with the amazing Marching 100 band. Which rocks! He played the sousaphone…..and thinks he’d like to play it in college too. Hmmm! Slow down, kid! On a sad note, he lost his new cell phone there somewhere at Assembly Hall. 🙁 Not good! We don’t replace lost cell phones. He will have to go back to whatever he had before or use what we have in the old phone pile. We are praying that “some” good samaritan finds it and returns it. It can happen! 🙂

GOOD NEWS! At around 10:45pm last night, a lady called from IU to say she had Gavin’s phone! Woohoo! Thank you Lord!

Ally and her crew as the Snowbirds. She’s the girl in the middle. Great job, Ally!

Untitled from Wanda Staton Galloway on Vimeo.

Ally and Tyler after the show (love the glasses, Ethel)

I know it’s been around forever…but it never gets old to me. It moves me. If you watch it….you’ll cry. It’s powerful to watch God at work in someone’s life. I know He’s always working in mine…..but I wonder how often I’m standing in the way of something really amazing happening?

Lord you are my everything. Help me move over and let you lead.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled”.

I love it. I love the Beatitudes. Don’t you? You can find them in Matthew 5. They’re some of my favorite words/promises from Christ himself. I’ve been a little run down lately. Life is so fast-paced. My kids are growing up, jobs are stressful, our family is so far away and satan more than anyone wants to keep me from living a righteous life. I’ve listed four things that block us from righteousness. Each one represents a taste of what goes on in all our lives. Everyday that goes by with these little stumblers loose in our life only hardens our hearts more. If you see something that rings true in your life….I pray that God would call you to full surrender to Him and that today you would make the change you need to hunger after Him and His righteousness.

Sinful pleasure. We are so easily absorbed into “other” things. By other, I’m talking about all the things that take us away from God. For some it could be career or money. For another it could be lust or sports. Sin has a way of feeling good (at first) and tying us to it. We end up wanting more and going farther than we ever intended. We get trapped in our sinful pleasures.

Self-sufficiency. We fall into this one by thinking we don’t have room for God in our life. We think we’ve got it all under control. Our choices are ours. We know what’s best. It only gets easier to rely on self and ignore God. No one is so empty as he who thinks he is full.

Secret sin. We think we’ve gotten away with it because no one knows…but God does. When we feel jealous or envious. When we don’t forgive someone who’s wronged us or resent another in our minds. We are harboring secret sin. This hardens our heart and takes away our appetite for the things of God.

Neglect of our spiritual life. All Christians believe in God, but nominal Christians have little time for Him. When we are too busy with everyday life to be reading our Bible and spending time in prayer…we lose our desire for discipleship. We end up crowding God out of our lives. Until we shrivel up and wither away spiritually.

Some questions that come to my mind are; Am I yielding to God in all area’s of my life? Do I seek Him in my decisions? Am I spending enough time in His word and in prayer? Am I nurturing my relationship with him? Can other’s see Christ in me? Am I truly surrendered to Him? Why not?

I want to be. I have some slowing down to do. Some refocusing and regrouping. I see clearly the spots that need cleaning up. What about you? Can you see what God wants changed in your life? Maybe it’s more than just that list. Have you commited your life to Christ? Have you confessed your sin to Him and asked for forgiveness? Are you a Christian…..or just one in name only? God wants you to choose Him. If you haven’t done so you can right now. It doesn’t cost you anything to follow Him…but it cost Him everything. He paid the price for you and me (knowing we didn’t deserve it). I will never get over that. Jesus Christ died….knowing how rotten to the core I am…..FOR ME! And you!

Precious Lord,
I will never say it enough. You are so Holy! So righteous! So gracious! Thank you for saving me. I rest in your promise that because I have accepted you as my Lord….that I will live with you in heaven for all eternity. I long for the day I see your face. I’ve imagined you over and over in my mind….it can never match up to the reality of that glory I will feel that day. When I see you….until then, I’ll hunger and thirst after you and your righteousness.
Amen.