This is yesterday's email from Anne Graham Lotz and her AnGeL ministry. She is Billy Graham's daughter so she doesn't have a care in the world. Does she?

Life-Giving Power

"Your word has give me life."

~ Psalm 119:50 NKJV

"Sometimes when we are depressed, we feel lifeless. It's hard to get out of bed in the morning. We seem to have no energy to do even the most routine functions. If you are depressed by the greatness of your problems, read God's Word! That's where you find help. That's where you find joy. Let the rushing waters of the living Word drown out all other sounds and voices. There is life-giving power in the Word of God!

"At the most difficult times in my life -- the loss of a baby, the forced removal from a church, the execution of a friend, the robbery of our home -- God's Word has sustained me. There have been times when I have only been capable of reading a few verses at a time, yet the supernatural life-giving power of the Word of God has not only helped me maintain my emotional and mental balance, it has given me strength to go on, even if only one day at at time."

***

Today's 'korner' is taken from "365 Days of Prayer for Women" by Stephanie Sample. It talks a lot about 'abide'. One of the definitions of abide is to 'remain faithful'.

ABIDE IN ME

"Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,
unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you,
unless you abide in me."

~  John 15:4 ESV


"Lord Jesus, I can't understand why I sometimes try to do things apart from you. Only bitter, unripe fruit comes from those efforts, yet I seem to forget this over and over. And you seem to forgive me just as often. You are so patient with me as I struggle to make my own way, knowing full well that to abide in you is the only way, Jesus, keep me close, Remind me how much I need you when I start to think I can do it on my own. The fruit that comes from a life with you is the sweetest taste I've known, and it's the only way I want to live."


ARE WE ABIDING IN GOD ALONE?

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"Don't long for
'the good old days,'
for you don't know
whether they were any
better than these!"

~ Ecclesiastes 7:10 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "The 'good old days' are easy to talk about, but they may never have existed. Sometimes we remember only the good things about the past, forgetting that those days also had problems. Instead of living in the past, we need to decide to live for today; living in such a way that we will look back on today as one of the 'good old days'."

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My commentary:  "The 'good old days' wouldn't have been totally good for our family. Health conditions needing medical attention - surgeries and modern medicines - wouldn't have been possible in those days. 'These days' are better for us than then!

*

Dear God,
Thank You that 
You have everything
under Your control.
Thank You for today,
because You add to 
each of our days 
and make all
of them - Good!
In Jesus' Name.
Amen.

I am doing something today that I have never done before. I am repeating Karen's Korner from Wednesday, January 1.

I re-read what I sent that morning and there were several words which were typed there in error and it made no sense. A group of friends had celebrated bringing in the New Year together (I hadn't even drank pop!). Didn't get home until after midnight and I couldn't fall sleep. Last time I looked at the clock it was 3:15 a.m.! I typed and read the entry, and evidently read words that I wanted to be there, but weren't!

So here we go again:

Everyone knows of the story of Cinderella and how the Prince rescued her from her dismal existence. She went from sweeping the floors of her surroundings. Going to the ball. Enjoying the evening with the Prince. Losing her slipper on the way home. The Prince pursuing her.  The lost shoe fit! Then, eventually going back to the palace together.

Who doesn't like such a love story? And the 'happily ever after' ending?

As we begin the new year, it is another opportunity to revisit God's Love Story and His 'happily ever after' ending.

He has sent His Son, the Prince of Peace', to earth to rescue each of us. All of us! From our 'less than the best existence'. Showing us the way. His Way. And giving us His Love and Care. And unlike the Cinderella story, we don't have to 'fit the slipper' in order to be 'the one' chosen! We can have a 4 or 15 shoe size and still be taken with the Prince to His "Castle". Not just for our earthly existence. But His 'Forever' home. Into eternity! 

"My purpose is to give life.
And give it abundantly."

~ John 10:10

***

Sometimes the news and current events can discourage us.

But God tells us to 'remember the hope of the resurrection' (1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 18).

Here is a list of the events of Christ's return:

1) Christ will return visibly with a mighty shout.

2) There will be an unmistakable cry from an angel.

3) There will be a trumpet fanfare such as has never been heard.

4) Believers in Christ who are dead will rise from their graves.

5) Believers who are alive will be lifted into the clouds and meet Christ.

Bible Commentary:  "Because Jesus Christ came back to life, so will all believers. All Christians, including those living when He returns, will live with Jesus forever. Therefore, we need not despair when loved ones die or world events take a tragic turn. For God will turn our tragedies to triumphs, our poverty to riche, our pain to glory, and our defeat to victory. All believers through history will stand reunited in God's very presence, safe, and secure. As Paul (writer) comforted the Thessalonians with the promise of the resurrection, so we should comfort and reassure one another with this great hope."

**

Everyone knows of the story of Cinderella and home the Prince rescued her from her dismal existence. She went from sweeping the floors of her surroundings. Going to the ball. Enjoying the evening with the Prince. Losing her slipper on the way home. The Prince pursuing her and them, eventually going back to the palace together.

Who doesn't like such a love story? And the 'happily ever after' ending?

As we begin the new year, it is another opportunity to revisit God's Love Story and His 'happily ever after' ending.

He has sent His Son, the Prince of Peace' to earth to rescue each of us. All of us! From our 'less than the best existence'. Showing us the way. His Way. And giving us His Love and Care. And unlike the Cinderella, we don't have to 'fit the slipper' in order to be 'the one' chosen! We can have size 4 or 15 shoe size and still be taken with the Prince to His "Castle". Not just for our earthly existence. But His 'Forever' home. Into eternity!

"My purpose is to give life.
And give it abundantly."

~ John 10:10

***

A prayer to close out 2024, from Sarah Young and her "Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence". Her December 31 entry:

"As this year draws to a close,
receive My Peace.
This is still your deepest need,
and I, your Prince of Peace,
long to pour Myself
into your neediness.
My abundance
 and your emptiness 
are a perfect match.
I designed you to
have no sufficiency
on your own.
I created you as
a jar of clay,
set apart for sacred use.
I want you 
to be filled with
My very Being,
permeated 
through and through
with Peace.

"Thank Me for 
My peaceful Presence,
regardless of your feelings.
Whisper My Name
in loving tenderness.
My Peace,
which lives continually 
in your spirit,
will gradually work
its way 
through your entire being."

~ Taken from Isaiah 9:6: 2 Corinthians 4:7: John 14:26 - 27

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"Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better.

If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he's in trouble."

~ Ecclesiastes 4:9 & 10 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "There are advantages to cooperating with others. Life is not designed for isolation, but companionship; not for loneliness, but for intimacy. Some people prefer isolation because they feel they cannot trust anyone. But we are not here on earth to serve ourselves, but to serve God and others. Don't isolate yourself from others and 'go it alone'. Seek companionship; be a team member."

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In a day of having 'hundreds of friends' on facebook, nothing is better than actual friends. And working together on a project or as part of a team!

I read one time, and often repeated, "It is said that one horse can pull five tons; pair that horse with another horse of similar size and together they can pull 32 tons!"

God knew it. He designed it!

Thank you for being part of my 'korner' team!!

As I promised several days ago, readers can access any past Karen's Korner (all 5275 of them!) by going to www.karens-korner.com (no capitals, no apostrophe, and a dash - not an underscore). Look on the left side of the screen, under 'archives'.

Web site was built by our son-in-law Tim Champion, many years ago! Thanks, Tim!

They are organized by month and year; not be subject. Suppose you want to see what a 'korner' was for your birthday in 2010. Scroll down and find the month and year. They are organized within the month!

Have fun checking!

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I was given a small "Everyday Blessings" book written by Max Lucado, as Christmas gift.

This is what Max has to say for today's date:
 

"(They) put him to death by nailing him to a cross.
But this was God's plan which he had made long ago."

~ Acts 2:23

"The cross wasn't a tragic surprise. Calvary was not a knee-jerk response to a world plummeting toward destruction. It wasn't a patch-up job or a stop-gap measure.

"The moment the forbidden fruit touched the lips of Eve, the shadow of a cross-appeared on the horizon. And between that moment and the moment the man with the mallet placed the spike against the wrist of God, a master plan was fulfilled."

***

This is a follow up to yesterday's Karen's Korner and what happened to George Washington and his troops on Christmas Day; what part it played in the history of America and establishing our country.

Move ahead two hundred years and the fight to save America during World War II. My dad, Stanley Zirbel, was part of U.S. Army. He and some of his military friends were fighting in the Battle of Bulge.

He would tell about what happened to them on Christmas Day in 1944. There was a gentle snowfall overnight. Troops were sleeping in tents on the battlefield. When they woke up that morning, there were boot prints all around their tents. No U.S. soldiers had been awake. They figured it had to be Germans. Why they had not been captured or worse, no one knew! Was it because it was Christmas Day?

God has protected the United States - when we were being formed as a nation; 80 years ago (celebrating our country's victory in 1945), and today!

Thank You, God, 
for being part of our lives - 
Now
And Always!
Thank You, Jesus,
for coming to earth
and changing everything -
Now
And Always!
Amen.