Today is Ash Wednesday.

Here is the on-line definition:

"Ash Wednesday, falling on February 18, 2026, is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity, marking a 40-day period (excluding Sundays) of prayer, fasting, and repentance.  It is a solemn day for Christians to reflect on mortality and turn back to God, with many attending services to receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross."

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It is recognized by various church families in various ways. Whether we participate or not, we typically see crosses in ashes on people's foreheads on those in the media today sometimes!

Forty is a known number Biblical:  number of days connected with Noah and the flood, for example.

Again from a computer post: The 40 days of Lent, however, are primarily identified with the time Jesus spent in the desert fasting, praying, and being tempted by the devil. Found in Matthew 4:1 - 11)."

At any rate, it is a good time to begin our reflection on Jesus - His Life, Death, and Resurrection! Which He would have done for each one of us!

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Jesus,
Thank You
for what You are
and were willing to do
for each one of us!
Whether we respond to
Your Love or not!
Thank You!
Lead us!
Guide us!
In Your Name we pray,
Amen.

Sorry for the delay in sending today's 'korner'. I had to log in. The question? "Where were you when you got your first kiss?" Guess what? I don't know. So neither could my computer. I couldn't get on. 

I asked for help. Never did get the help I needed but eventually they asked me another question which I did know the answer!!

Here is a Max Lucado from yesterday:

ENTRUST CHILDREN TO CHRIST

"Fear turns some parents into paranoid prison guards who monitor every minute and check the background of every friend.  A family with no breathing room suffocates a child.

"On the other hand, fear can also create permissive parents.  Fearing that their child will feel too confined or fenced in, they are high on hugs and low on discipline.  They don’t realize that appropriate discipline is an expression of love.

"Permissive parents.  Paranoid parents.  How can we avoid the extremes?  We pray. Jesus’ big message to moms and dads?  Bring your children to me. Pray that your children have a profound sense of place in this world and a heavenly place in the next. Parents, we can entrust our kids to Christ."

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The last book of the Old Testament is Malachi. There are four chapters. The last chapter, #4, has about a half dozen verses.

So how does this story end? Here are the first two verses of that chapter:

"Watch now,
the Lord Almighty declares,
"the day of judgment is coming,
burning like a furnace.
The proud and wicked will be
burned up like straw;
like a tree, they will be consumed -- roots and all.
But for you who fear my name, the son of Righteousness will rise
with healing in his wings.
And you will go free, leaping with joy
like calves let out to pasture."
~ Malachi 4:1 & 2 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "At the day of judgment, God's wrath toward the wicked will be like the blasting heat of a furnace. But He will be like the healing warmth of the sun to those who love and obey Him. 

"These last verses of the Old Testament are filled with hope. Regardless of how life looks now. God controls the future and everything will be made right. We who have loved and served God look forward to a joyful celebration. This hope for the future is ours as soon as we trust God with our lives."

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It's Valentine's Day tomorrow!

I am thinking of beginning to read 1 John. First two chapters are on 'God is Light'; Numbers 3 and 4 are 'God Is Love''; and the last two are 'God is life'.

It is the two on 'love' that has caught my eye because of the time of the year that it is.

Here is a single verse from 1 John, chapter 3. In case, you don't get any Valentine cards, flowers, or jewelry, this is a note on God's LOVE!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

"See how very much our heavenly Father
LOVES us,
for He allows us to be called His children----
think of it----
and we really are!

But since most people don't know God,
naturally they don't understand
that we are His children."

~ 1 John 3:1 LAB

Bible Commentary:  "As believers, our self-worth is based on the fact that God loves us and calls us His children. We are His children, NOW, not just sometime in the distant future. Knowing that we are His children encourages us to live as Jesus did."

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Yesterday's Max Lucado:

LOAVES, FISHES, and JESUS

"Matthew 6:25 Jesus says, 'That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough.'

"On one occasion, Jesus had taken the disciples on a retreat.  Then came the hungry crowd.  Then the disciples issued a command to Jesus. 'Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.' But Jesus issued an assignment, 'You give them something to eat.' Do you suppose Jesus was hoping someone would count all the possibilities: 'we have five loaves, two fish, and … Jesus!' (Matthew 14: 15-17 NLT)

"Standing next to the disciples was the solution to their problems … but the disciples stopped their counting and worried. What about you? Are you counting your problems or are you counting on Christ?"

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1 Thessalonians, chapter 5 is loaded with 'how-tos'. Verses 11 - 23 by writer Paul; gives us ways to encourage ourselves and others.

In my Bible is a graphic titled "Checklist for Encouragers". The list is lengthy.

Today I am including four of them. The first of four ways of encouragement. Verse and a suggested application:

"BUILD EACH OTHER UP"
- verse 11 -
Point out to someone a a quality you appreciate in him or her.

"GIVE HONOR TO LEADERS"
- verse 12 -
Look for ways to cooperate.

"THINK HIGHLY OF LEADERS"
- verse 13 -
Withhold your next critical comment about  those in positions of  responsibility.

"GIVE WHOLEHEARTED LOVE"
- verse 13 -
Say 'thank you' to your leaders for their efforts."

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God,
will you help me to pay attention
to what I see,
think,
and do.
Help me to be an
encourager!
Amen.

Sometimes people send me things, "Would this be a good Karen's Korner?" Today's is one of those. From Margaret Cramer.

JUST LET IT GO

"Many who are first will be last, and the last first."
~Mark 10:31

"What's in it for you?'

"Is this ever your response when you are asked for a favor or are challenged to make a personal sacrifice? It's a common one, and smart businesses know this. The Girl Scouts is a worthwhile organization, yet they don't simply ask for your financial support. They sell cookies, providing an incentive for the donor, and people clamor to get them each year.

"We may even carry the. 'What's in it for me?' mindset into the church when asked to serve on a committee, participate in a youth camping trip, take part in a house bulding project, or be involved in another demanding ministry.

"A rich young man once approached Jesus, seeking to know how to receive eternal life. The Scripture says Jesus 'loved him'. Yet when Jesus told him to first sell everything he had, donate it to the poor, and then follow him, the guy 'went away sad' (Mark 10:17 - 31).

"Jesus assured his confused disciples that for everything we give up for God, God will provide even more in this life and the life to come. Still we hold out.

"What's in in for us? We are offered salvation, forgiveness of sin, joy and peace, help in times of trouble, eternal life, and  so much more. But to receive these things, first we may need to release whatever we're clinging to so tightly."

~ Taken from '3 Minute Devotions to Laugh & Reflect"
by Hudson Campbell

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Today's entry by Stephanie Sample and her "365 Days of Prayer for Women":

EVERYTHING CHANGES

"Be deligient in these matters,
give yourself wholly to them,
so that everyone may see
your progress."
~ 1 Timothy 4:15 NIV

:"Unchanging Lord, how intriguing that you created a world where nothing stays the same. Only you are perfect, so everything else must change. The color of the sky changes minute to minute, and even the hardest of rocks wear down with time. Perhaps most striking of all, I am never the same person upon rising as I was the day before. Though as granite, wear away at my heart, hardened by time and experience, until it is as soft and warm as yours. Let all my growth and change be toward becoming more like you, Father, and let others recognize and be drawn, to you in me."

How are we changing to become more like Jesus?

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Several days ago I received a 'late' Christmas letter. Or a '2026 early greeting'. It was from a friend who years ago lived in Clarion.

There were two boxed greetings in the heading followed by a half-dozen paragraphs of text:

GRATEFUL & BLESSED 2025

"I am the light of the world;
he that follows me shall not
walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life."
~ John 8:12 KJV

She followed with a lengthy paragraph of explanation of how much she enjoys lighthouses:  part of her home decor; reading about them; putting together puzzles; traveling to visit several. One time recently even spending a night in an 'actual' lighthouse.

Paragraph #2:  "When I write this letter, I like to share how much my faith means to me. I have included the Scriptures above (and below) that refer to light. Our true light is Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Yes, Jesus is the light of the world. It is so very important to follow Jesus, He will guide us and He is always with us. When we give our life to Jesus we will have eternal life and live in the light. Lighthouses are needed to guide ships safely on the waters, Jesus guides us safely here on earth, and then to our home in Heaven."

She went on to tell of their family and some of their, and her, events of the past year.

The final Bible verse at the end of the letter:

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path."
~ Psalm 119:105 KJV

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I haven't shared a writing from Sarah Young and her "Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence" for a few weeks. It is a good one! They are all good; for today!!

"Seek My Face, and you will find not only My Presence but also My Peace. To receive My Peace, you must change your grasping, controlling stance to one of openness and trust. The only thing you can grasp without damaging your soul is My hand. Ask My Spirit within you to order your day and control your thoughts, for the mind controlled by the Spirit is Life and Peace.

"You can have as much of Me and My Peace as you want, through thousands of correct choices each day. The most persistent choice you face is whether to trust Me or to worry. You will never run out of things to worry about, but you can choose to trust Me no matter what. I am an ever-present help in trouble. Trust Me, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."

~ Taken from Romans 8:6; Psalm 46:1 -2

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