Crowned By The King

I was sitting in church this past summer and had the most incredible experience. 

I was standing there, eyes closed, hands raised, and as I sang praises to Jesus, I encountered Him in a very personal way. 

Now this wasn't the first time God had met me here like this. I had had two other very emotional visits with Jesus and the Holy Spirit over the last few months. One of those I received the gift of tongues, and another, Jesus set me free from some sort of a prison I had been unaware I had kept myself locked in. But back to this moment.

I saw Jesus, step down off the stage where we were worshiping him. He was smiling and swaying with all our praises, keeping step with the beat of the music. He was so happy with us! He started coming down the center aisle and began to sway and walk in my direction.

 Again, still smiling. I looked away as he locked eyes on me. He couldn't be looking at me! I opened my eyes and looked to my left and saw my family standing there worshiping God, so I closed my eyes again and lifted my praise to God even higher. Jesus was closer than ever! He came down the center aisle and stopped at my row! He leaned in and began to lift the most amazing crown from his head.

photo credit

(It didn't look anything like this, but you get the point!)

 It was royal and clearly the most amazing crown anyone would ever lay eyes on, covered in jewels and very regal looking. Jesus, smiled, and began to lift the crown from his head and toward me!

I opened my eyes and again looked away from my vision to my left where my family was still standing and worshiping. "This can't be!" I thought, so I closed my eyes again wondering what on earth this was all about and sang and worshiped my Jesus with all my heart and soul and strength. But Jesus was closer than ever this time! He leaned in and placed His crown on my head!  

"This can't be!" I thought again, but Jesus kept smiling and said, "this is for you!"

So I have been trying to process this "crowning moment" all summer. I've been trying to figure out why Jesus wanted to crown ME while also trying not to figure it out and just embrace the moment and relish the fact that Jesus wanted to meet me in a real way, even though no one would probably believe me! 

Then last month I was introduced to this amazing necklace ministry called, "Crowned By The King".

I was chosen to be a part of this amazing ministry to encourage women to remind them of their beauty, their value, and their purpose in Christ.

When I received my necklace I fell in love with it!

I wanted immediately to give one to every woman I know, including my daughters, my mother, my sister, my cousins, my friends! What an amazing necklace to remind us that we are daughters of the King of Kings! 

But the one woman I knew in my life whom I wanted to give this necklace to I knew could really use it. She had just recently had to step down from leading our moms group at our church in order to take a full time job. Sometimes life can be difficult and while her heart was still very much with us moms this amazing friend has stepped back from leading our moms group in order to provide for her family. I know this has been a difficult time for her. She has spent the last three years running our moms group and raising her two children while working part time. To work full time meant giving up all the things that she loves to do with her children like story time at the library and reaching out to new moms and inviting them to our moms group. While her children are in good hands, I thought my friend could really use a "crowning moment".

I pulled her aside after church today and thanked her for all she had done in the past for our church's moms group. She shared her joys and a few of her struggles with her new job. I told her about my own "crowning moment" and that I wanted to "crown" her. I was wearing the crown necklace and so I told her I wanted to give her my necklace. She told me she thought she was going to cry! As I took it off her she told me that she really needed this encouragement. My timing couldn't have been better and she asked me to put it on her. I was so thrilled she accepted my necklace!

I shared with her how much I appreciated her and all the things she has done to bless our church with our moms' group and thanked her. I shared with her that I thought she might be the perfect one to carry this "Crowned By The King" ministry forward, simply by being who she is and sharing her love for God and love for people. I shared with her how this necklace might just be the centerpiece and conversation starter she might use to help her at work or wherever life takes her! I gave her a  little bit of information about the ministry in case she wanted to know more about the necklace as a ministry.

It was just about one of the most amazing moments of my life being able to not only thank this amazing woman but to also encourage her and lift her up before God and remind her how much God loves her!

We shared several hugs and then I had to leave. I plan to pray for my friend and her new necklace that she will cherish it enough so that one day she would be able to give it away to someone who desperately needs to know how much God loves them!

If you would like to hear another testimony to another "Crowned Moment" you can see the video below.

Here is one woman's testimony after receiving a necklace.

If you'd like to know more you can check out the website, Crowned By The King.
Here you will find out about How the ministry works.

You can also like them on On Facebook or On Twitter


 I received two free necklaces. One to give away and one to keep. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

The Best Anniversary Gift I Ever Received

After courting for three years, including surviving a year-long long distance relationship between Maine and Okinawa, I married my best friend. That was nineteen years ago! I can hardly believe its been nineteen years!

Two and half years into our marriage we welcomed our first child, a son.

Two years later we were blessed with another child, another son!

These two boys have become my driving force to my life's purpose in raising them up to be men of God, strong, and of good character. Phew! It's not easy! The tempers can flare (mine more often than theirs). I fitfully surrendered my plans for my life and dug in deep to God's promises for my kids. I took them home and began homeschooling them. You can read more about that here.

These two boys it seems have always been together!

And we have welcomed four more children since these first two boys joined our family!

My three boys!

Then we were blessed with our first daughter!

And a second daughter!

And a fourth son!

But back to my big boys and the reason for this post!

They are not so little any more.

My time at home homeschooling them is almost over.

They are growing up!

The oldest has his license now and drives himself and his brother to their JROTC class two days a week.

In this class they learn wonderful things about our country, good citizenship, reaching out to our Veterans, and the value of community service. They write speeches and essays on the military. They wear uniforms and learn to appreciate all our military does to protect our freedoms.

And occasionally, they get to go out to lunch. They are homeschooled so they are free to leave school after their class and grab a sandwich and return later in the day for outside activities. They bring their homeschool work I have sent along with them to do.

If you've ever heard the saying that "having children is to have your heart go walking around OUTSIDE your body", well, I have never felt this to be more true than now. These boys are my world, and yet they are not mine. They are God's. But the best anniversary gift I could have ever received was when they came home last night after their whirlwind of an activity filled day and told me that the lady at the sandwich shop where they were getting their lunch said to them, 

"School's out for the day already?"

"No, we're homeschooled." they replied.

She then went on to ask if they had other siblings and if they too were homeschooled.

They told her.

Then my son told me that the lady said to be sure and tell me...

"that I was doing a good job and I should keep up the good work"!

The best gift I could have ever received on my 19th  anniversary, was some simple, kind words from a stranger who saw a good work being completed in my children. And I am in awe, and give God all the glory! For it is by His grace I have been saved and by faith I continue this race to run it well and complete the task the Lord has set before me. A little bit of encouragement goes a looong way. The Lord encouraged me today through the very blessings I am working so hard at home to raise! I will continue to roll up my sleeves, die to self, and get to work. To not just be a hearer, but a doer for God's Kingdom. For I have at LEAST nineteen more years to go!

Do you have some simple, kind words for a weary mom today? Don't hold back. You words just might be exactly what she needs to hear to carry her for a very long time!

"The right word at the right time

    is like a custom-made piece of jewelry" Proverbs 25:11

I can't wait to share how this verse ties into my life right now!

Here is a sneak peak!