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April 2007 Archives
Today is Monday, April 2nd, 2007; Karen's Korner #1031
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As our church family heads toward Easter, we are finishing the study book by Rick Warren on "Better Together", building church families and communities for Christ. Week #5 is "We're Called to Serve Together"; with Day #33 titled "...by using our talents to bless each other."
Here are a couple of paragraphs from that day:
"Would it surprise you to know that some studies indicate the average believer possesses between 500 to 700 different skills and abilities--all gifts meant to make a contribution to the Body of Christ? You needn't be concerned if some of your talents seem quite ordinary; they're still eternally important to God. Jesus said, 'If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.' (Matthew 10:43)
"Like stained glass, our different personalities reflect God's light in a variety of colors and patterns. He shaped us so there would be no duplication--so none of us would have the exact same mix of factors that make us unique. This means no one else on earth will ever be able to do the things for others that you ar able to do. 'It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.'" (Ephesians 2:10)
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Today is Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007; Karen's Korner #1032
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Today's Karen's Korner written and shared by Chris Lousias:
Tear Down the Mini-Malls!
2 Corinthians 11:3
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning,
your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”
You are holding back. You have bills that are piling up on the desk, you’ve found out that you will be on medication for that thing for the rest of your life; you are starting to lose your youngest daughter to the wrong type of crowd at her school. It is all so overwhelming.
You pray, you ask people to pray for you, you attend church, but things just don’t seem to be getting any better. Do you know that the enemy isn’t after your finances; he isn’t after your health or your family; he is after your devotion?
If the enemy can divert your attention away from our real purpose here on earth; the purpose to pursue Jesus Christ with more than your heart can give, with more than your mind can comprehend, with more than your soul has to burn, than he has stolen your devotion.
Without complete devotion to the Christ and the things He has planned for your life, you will not be able to hear His whispers because your ears are plugged with lies.
Without complete devotion to our Savior and what He has taught us in His Word about loving others, you will not see who you could minister to because your eyes will be blinded by jealousy of what others have and you wished you did.
Without complete devotion to Jesus you will hold back on your worship and praise to Him, you will hold back on praying in your prayers to Him and you will not understand the love He is capable of giving to you and you are capable of receiving from Him because you have allowed the enemy to distract you with diversions from total devotion to the One who can complete us.
Abandon yourself to Him and all that He stands for. Raise your hands when you praise Him. Show Him that you want to reach out to meet Him. Dance in your worship to Him. Feel the freedom of Life in the movements as you step towards Him. Don’t be afraid to cry tears of longing for Him during your private conversations with Him. Put your shoulder to those walls that the enemy throws up as fast as a mini-mall and break down those barriers that take away your uninhibited devotion to Him. Be extravagant for Him. Deny yourself. You WILL feel the freedom. He promises that.
Song of Solomon 1:4
“Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you!” O Lord, the One we love, give us the strength to abandon all the distractions of this world that keep us from total devotion to You. Help us to shed our layers of fear, our layers of pride and our layers of hesitation that keep us from entering the Holy of Holies in order to be with You. Help us to hunger enough to come to Your table to feast on Your love. We pray this in the sweet and tender name of Jesus our Christ, Amen.
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Today is Wednesday, April 4th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1033
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Are we becoming "more mature" as Christians? Oh, I know, we tend to compare ourselves to "super-Susie Christian" down the street or "Bible-beater Bob" in the front row at church!
But how do we compare to ourselves and how we used to be. Here is a listing of "Maturity Choices* we can be making or begin to make:
Teaching others versus just being taught;
Developing a depth of understanding versus stuggling with the basics;
Self-evaluation versus self-criticism
Seeking unity versus disunity;
Desiring spiritual challenges versus desiring entertainment;
Careful study and observation versus opinion and half-hearted efforts;
Active faith versus cautious apathy and doubt;
Confidence versus fear;
Feelings and experiences evaluated in the light of God's word
versus
experiences evaluated according to our feelings.
* Taken from the Life Application Bible information, provided near Hebrews chapter 5.
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Today is Thursday, April 5th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1034
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A pass along email from Bob and Nancy Hall for Easter:
An Easter Prayer
Lord,
Thank You for the gift of HOPE
You gave us on Easter morning.
Because of You we know
That no problem is too difficult
And even death does not have power over us.
Thank you for the gift of JOY
You gave us when You were resurrected.
Because of You we know
That no matter how challenging life may be,
In the end we will rejoice again.
Thank You for the gift of LOVE
You gave us when You laid down Your life.
Because of You we know that there is no sin too great to separate us
And we are incredibly valuable to You.
Thank You for the gift of LIFE
You gave us when You left the tomb.
Because of Easter we know
This world is just the beginning
And we will spend forever in heaven with You.
We celebrate You, JESUS,
with hearts full of praise and gratitude
for who You are and all You’ve done for us!
Amen.
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Today is Friday, April 6th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1035
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Good Friday morning! Best wishes to you as you celebrate Easter this weekend, your way! With family, with friends, with your church family!
A daily devotional forward from Jeff White:
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the
earth and dies, it remains a single grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it brings a good harvest.
John 12:24
What a struggle life seems. We’ve got to pay bills. We’ve got to be here or there. We’ve got to keep up with the Jones’. All this struggle to live and to live well (according to worldly standards).
Life begins for us when we die. Die to sin, die to vanity, die to pride, die to the world. DIE TO SELF!
He died for you… can’t you die for him?
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Today is Monday, April 9th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1036
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This must be a 'hot' email, as I received it from my cousin Randy Hill on my dad's side of the family and my aunt and uncle Bud and Tillie Merwin on my mom's side last week. I think you will like it:
Who is He?
In chemistry, He turned water to wine;
In biology, He was born without the normal conception;
In physics, He disapproved the law of gravity when He ascended into heaven;
In economics, He disapproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5000 men
with two fishes and five loaves of bread;
In medicine, He cured the sick and the blind without administering a single dose of drugs;
In history, He is the beginning and the end;
In government, He said that he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace;
In religion, He said no one comes to the Father except through him;
So. Who is He?
He is Jesus!
Join me and let's celebrate him; He is worthy.
Philippians 4:4 - "Always be full of joy in the Lord; again I say rejoice!"
~~
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Today is Tuesday, April 10th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1037
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I received this pass-along email from my friend Miriam Jensen one day last week. She had included this note to me, "When we are together, I see Jesus!" Her remarks could be returned from me to her. I could include those same remarks to many of you. Some Karen's Korner readers I have never met!
When you meet some friends, neighbors, family members, and/or co-workers, could you think or say to them, "I just saw Jesus!":
I just saw Jesus
He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt.
He was up at the church building;
He was alone and working hard.
For just a minute he looked a little like one of our church members.
But it was Jesus, I could tell by his smile.
I saw Jesus last Sunday.
He was teaching a Bible class.
He didn't talk real loud or use long words,
But you could tell he believed what he said.
For just a minute, he looked like my Sunday School teacher.
But it was Jesus, I could tell by his loving voice.
I saw Jesus yesterday.
He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick.
They prayed together quietly.
For just a minute he looked like our preacher.
But it was Jesus, I could tell by the tears in his eyes.
I saw Jesus this morning.
He was in my kitchen making my breakfast.
He then fixed me a special lunch to take with me.
For just a minute he looked like my husband.
But it was Jesus, I could feel the love from his heart.
I saw Jesus today.
He was praying on his knees all alone.
He then began to cry for those he prayed for.
For just a minute he looked like a lady from our church.
But it was Jesus, I could see the compassion poured out of his prayer.
I saw Jesus the other day.
He was at the grocery store talking to a friend.
He then put his arms around them to comfort them.
For just a minute he looked like a young mother in our ladies class.
But it was Jesus, I could see the concern for others who hurt.
I see Jesus everywhere,
Taking food to the sick,
Welcoming others to his home,
Being friendly to a newcomer
And for just a minute I think he's someone I know.
But it's always Jesus, I can tell by the way he serves.
May someone see Jesus in you today.
Remember to encourage those you see living for Jesus!
"You are My witnesses," says the Lord."
(Isaiah 43:5)
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Today is Wednesday, April 11th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1038
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My friend, Donna Orte, is dying! The doctors told her.
Several months ago she went in for tests and they learned that she had lung cancer. She had two choices: do something or do nothing. Both had the same end. With the treatments, she would have a few more months. She chose to do nothing extra.
She's not the only one! I have a handful of people in my life right now with the same outlook. I don't like those kinds of reports!
As I was running some bath water the other day, I was idly thinking these God-thoughts, "God, I don't like losing people I care about in my life!"
It seemed He said to me, "You don't really lose them. They just change forms!"
And as I watched the steam rise from the tub water, I thought, "Wow! Is that true!! Ice, water, steam! In just a matter of months, Donna will go from my 'water' friend to my 'water vapor' friend. She will still be with me in spirit. It is her body that I am going to be missing!"
I (we) never truly lose the people in our lives we care about, if we are Christians! Their spirits remain with us always. And their bodies....like Donna's....well, Jesus took care of that too. Another day when I get reacquainted with Donna, she'll have a new body too! One that works better than this one, that isn't dying or can be wrecked by disease.
It's a day that I can't even imagine; one I can't wait to see or in which to participate!!
"Dear Father in Heaven, Thank You for who You are and the plans You have made for each one of us, which includes from the beginning of time and on into eternity! All I can say is 'thank You'! In the Name of Your Son, Jesus, who was a part of that plan. Amen."
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Today is Thursday, April 12th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1039
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A daily deovtional by Joel and Victoria Osteen:
A Champion's Legacy
"I will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won't have room enough to take it in!"
~~ (Malachi 3:10)
Did you know that you have the legacy and heritage of a champion? You need to believe for, and expect, the great things that God has in store for you. You have to expect God's favor, abundance, and blessing in every area of your life, because He wants to give you victory in each and every situation and circumstance. You probably have many things in your past that you are thankful for, but even greater things are in the near future for you! The Bible says you won't even have enough room to hold everything that God wants to pour out on you. It is impossible to out-give God, and you should be thankful for that, because He continues to give you His victorious legacy.
"God, thank You for giving me part of Your champion's legacy. Strengthen me as I seek to live victoriously in Your power. In Jesus' Name. Amen."
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Today is Friday, April 13th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1040
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As many of you know, there is a delegation from our church making plans to travel to Poland late this summer on a short-term mission trip. We have been invited to work with John Crozier and his wife, Zaba, in a youth camp and at a church, they helped establish there. John is a graduate of Clarion - Goldfield High School and lived the middle years of his growing up days in Clarion. The couple has two young sons, David and Thomas.
Today's Karen's Korner is something John wrote and emailed to me the first part of this week:
"A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross." Mark 15.21
A few thoughts have been following me around this Easter about why Mark included the words "father of Alexander and Rufus" when recording the facts of that awful day. What meaning could they possibly have had placed next to the horrible suffering of the Christ. Could it be that Mark, writing around thirty years after the crucifixion, knew the readers of his account were personally acquainted with them. Think about it. Could it be that these men, who were small boys when dad was forced to carry the Roman cross, were now followers of the Christ?
I wonder, as Simon's wife unpacked his bags after returning from Jerusalem, if she saw his blood-stained clothes that had been pressed up against the Messiah? I wonder, as they sat down for supper that night, if Simon through clouded eyes shared with his wife about his short journey on the Via Dolorossa - the "way of suffering" - with the Messiah. I wonder if he repeated the words he might have heard from the cross to his wife; "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do"?
And as he lay down with his two boys before they went to sleep did he tell them about the bustling city of Jerusalem? Did he dare tell them about the Roman guards, their long spears prodding a "Lamb being led to slaughter" - an image so clear for young boys those days?
Did his short time with the Messiah on the Via Dolorossa that fateful day change his life? I wonder. Did his boys grow up and follow the Lamb they had heard about after Simon's return from Jerusalem that Easter weekend?
Could Paul, in writing a letter to the church in Rome, have been referring to Simon's family when he wrote in closing; "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too."
Could it be true that Simon got close enough to the Messiah to truly understand forgiveness for the first time that first Easter?
I write with my own boys in mind; their young lives stretching before them. Maybe Rufus and Alexander were their ages when Simon left for the Passover in Jerusalem. I write with my boys in mind; hoping and praying that my 'experience' of forgiveness and hope found in the Lamb on the Via Dolorossa will become theirs one day. . .
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Today is Monday, April 16th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1041
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A past daily devotional by Jeff White:
The Son of Man came to find
lost people and save them.
Luke 19:10
What is your perception of Jesus? Is He a King on a Throne? Is He a warm, fuzzy feeling? Is He a Shepherd? Luke describes Jesus as a Prince who came to earth as a Search and Rescue Technician.
Heads of s tate often go to disaster areas to survey the damage. They will pick up a hammer or crow bar and pose for the cameras, but in reality, they seldom actually do significant work. It would just be too dangerous and they are too important.
Jesus came down from his throne to search for the lost. Regardless of the dangers, he not only surveys the scene; but he rolls up his sleeves and searches. It cost his life, but I for one am glad he searched for and rescued me.
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Today is Tuesday, April 17th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1042
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We are all shocked and saddened by the tragedy of injuries and loss of lives of those at the Virginia Tech college campus yesterday. We collectively ask ourselves, "Why?"
We are at a crossroads of a world who has lost its collective and individual moral compass. At times, we are lost and confused. We need to look to the One who gives us direction and a clearer picture of the road ahead.
We need to pray for God's guidance for the families who lost loved ones, for our young people, for families in general, and for a world who sometimes seems out of control and behaviors which sometimes seem bizarre.
"Dear Father in Heaven, we ask for Your direction today. Forgive us, Father, when we go our own ways and not the ways You have in mind for us. Be with all of the students on the campus of Virginia Tech today. Give special comfort to the familes who have lost loved ones in such a tragedy as this; heal those who have suffered injuries from a senseless gunman. We are all well aware of evil and terrorism in our world today; not all of us have experienced it first hand. But all of us have experienced attacks of evil thoughts and attacks of terrism in our innermost beings. It doesn't have to come from outside of us; it can come from within. Still us. Calm us. Direct us. We won't be able to be, go, and do what You have in mind for us without Your help. Thank You for taking care of each one of us in a world that sometimes seems like it has gone mad. Thank You, Jesus for Your still, calm voice and for Your safe and steady hand. Amen."
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Today is Wednesday, April 18th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1043
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Yesterday was Phil Kirstein's funeral. He was only 59; young by the standers of someone who will turn 61 next month. Phil learned of his terminal illness several months ago; it takes time for friends and family to come to terms with those kinds of diagnoses.
Several weeks after I learned of Phil's cancer, I had a dream about Phil and his family. Dreams aren't always all factual.
Phil was raised on, loved, worked, and to my knowledge always lived on the farm. But in my dream his home was in town. I decided I wanted to stop by to visit. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. Steve Sebbby, who lived next door (but in reality doesn't!), saw me and said, "Phil, doesn't live there any more. He moved."
"Where did he move?" I asked.
"He moved to another house down the street," Steve said. "Just follow their dog. (I don't know if Phil had a dog or not!). He knows the way."
So I followed this mid-size pooch several blocks and there was Phil. He was climbing down off a ladder. "Just getting this house ready," he said. He looked some weaker than the last time I had seen him.
"Why did you move?" was my first question.
"I just couldn't stay there and have my family watch my pain and suffering," he said.
"So where is your family now?" was my question #2.
In Phil's normal fashion, he smiled (with his chuckle tossed in) and said, "That's the funny part. They followed me here!"
Phil couldn't stand having his loved ones all watch him suffer; yet theycouldn't stand to let him leave; so they followed him to where he had moved. Love sometimes follows; love sometimes leads.......
Sort of like our house here; and our house in heaven. God knew that loved ones would want to follow where their parents, children, spouses, friends moved. Where He resides. So He built not only a path, but another home and a way to get there.
Death doesn't mean extinction. It only means separation.
Huge difference!
***
Bible verse from today's Joel and Victoria Osteen daily email:
“I’m going to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for my people to go home, and create rivers for them in the desert.”
~~ Isaiah 43:19 (TLB)
**
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Today is Thursday, April 19th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1044
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A forward from Gary Brandt:
Cherokee Indian Youth's Rite of Passage
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?
His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.
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Today is Friday, April 20th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1045
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Mark Young, who was the pastor of the Church of Christ in Clarion for 19 years and who now ministers a congregation in Newton, emailed me this conversation of a member of his congregaton's daugther, Angie, and Angie's four-year-old son, Gavin. Cute!
G- Who is Grampie's dad?
A- His name was Ernest.
G- Why do you say 'was'?
A- Because he died.
G- I remember seeing him once.
A- No, he died a long time ago. I never even met him.
G- Who is Grammie's dad?
A- His name was Everett
G- Why do you say 'was'?
A- Because he died a long time ago, too.
G- Did they die together?
A- No, they didn't know each other.
G- Who killed them?
A- Nobody. They got very sick and died.
G- I'm sick.
A- You just have a cough and runny nose. They were much sicker than that.
G- Did they go to heaven?
A- Yes.
G- Heaven is above the clouds, you know.
A- Yup.
G- How far is it to Heaven?
A- I don't know, pretty far, I guess.
G- Why do you guess?
A- I don't really know. A person can't just drive there, they have to die to get there.
G- How does the person get there?
A- They die.
G- No, how does a person GET there?
A- Their body doesn't go there, just their soul.
G- What is a soul?
A- It..... It's what....... It's your spirit.
G- Where is a person's soul at before they die?
A- In their body.
G- In their heart probably.
A- Probably.
G- Is God and Jesus in Heaven?
A- Yes.
G- Did Jesus make God?
A- No, God made Jesus.
G- Then who made God?
A- I don't know.
G- Why don't you know.
A- I just don't.
G- What kind of shirt did Jesus wear?
A- The kind that people used to wear when he was alive.
G- I am going to die someday and then I can go to Heaven.
A- Yup.
G- Can we get a penguin?
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Today is Monday, April 23rd, 2007; Karen's Korner #1046
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This is a pass-along email which I received last week from Bob and Sandy Stephenson. It's titled "Positive Attitude and Confession":
DEAR GOD:
I want to thank You for what you have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards;
I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better;
I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me;
I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears ;
I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves;
I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet;
I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job;
I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief;
I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed;
I am thanking you right now.
I am thanking you because I am alive.
I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties.
I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.
I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.
AMEN.
God is just so good, and he's good all the time.
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Today is Tuesday, April 24th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1047
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This is a forwarded email I got from my sister Jill who lives in Burnsville, Minnesota via their pastor. It was written by Pastor Ken Klaus of Lutheran Hour Ministries:
"Hope"
April 18, 2007
"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."
~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
As this devotion is being written, the body count on the Virginia Tech campus is still rising. Parents are still trying to find out if their children are safe. Families and students are in shock, and the entire world is in mourning and looking for answers.
In the days to come, stories of heroism and fear will be told. Questions will be asked, and some will be answered. Most certainly many will be asking, "Where was God when a gunman roamed the dormitories and classrooms? If He loves us, and if He is all-powerful, why didn't He stop this horrible tragedy? Why didn't He strike down a bad person before He could do this horrible thing?"
Are there any answers for Christians? I believe there are.
First, we must confess that this action dare not be laid at the feet of God. He who gave His Son to live, suffer, and die so this world might be given forgiveness, peace, and heaven would not cause such a thing. The motivation for these murders will not be found in heaven. Rather, the motivation stems from a sinful human heart where Satan's seeds of hatred found suitable soil for success.
Second, we must acknowledge that God's great grace and unrelenting love have the ability, even now, to bring comfort to those who are mourning. It can bring strength to those who are destroyed and hope to those who are filled with hatred and despair. We must remember that when Jesus died upon the cross, He saw this terrible tragedy, along with every other horror that has been birthed by sin and Satan. So that God's people might know that despair and desolation will not have the last word, Jesus rose from the dead. With the power of the resurrection, He promised to be with us always. It is a promise He keeps. Believers are given eternal comfort and hope, even when looking down the barrel of a gun or standing beside the casket of a murdered child or classmate.
Lastly, we need to remember that Christ's people are custodians of hope - hope that is found in Jesus alone. When the Amish children were killed in Pennsylvania, one old grandfather said, "Even now we are praying for the families of the children, but we are also praying for the family of the man who did this. We want them to know we have forgiven them already." Grandpa understood. The Savior's people, who are forgiven of their sins, can use this moment of mourning to let the world know that Christ can comfort hearts that are hurting.
"Dear Lord, we pray for those whose lives will never again be the same. We ask the Holy Spirit to descend upon those who mourn, hate, or feel loss. May He turn their hearts from this horror and cause them to look upon their Savior who wishes to make them more than conquerors in this catastrophe. Use us, wherever possible, to point people to a loving Lord who gave His Son so that all might be filled with eternal comfort and good hope. In Jesus' Name. Amen. "
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Today is Wednesday, April 25th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1048
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Yesterday's daily email devotional by Joel and Victoria Osteen; I thought it was a good one:
It's Worth It
"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
~~ 1 Corinthians 15:58
You can probably think of many things you have invested time, energy and money in that seemed to profit you nothing. But God's Word promises that nothing you do for His name is ever wasted! God knows and uses everything you do for His name, no matter how small the act itself may seem, and the good news is that your work for God is never in vain. Sometimes, you may not get to see the good that your efforts are producing. Our human tendency is to want to see the finished product; otherwise, we don't feel that anything has really been accomplished. But take heart, because God doesn't overlook anything you do for Him.
God, thank You for Your promise to bless my work and my commitment. Give me the courage to continue following faithfully after you. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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Today is Thursday, April 26th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1049
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I sometimes like to collect short thoughts; here are a couple of them. They are independent topics with no common thread:
** For every minute you are angry with someone,
you lose 60 seconds of happiness
that you can never get back.
**
America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits
a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America
disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.
-- President James Madison, 3rd U.S. President
**
5 signs of disfunction:
1. Don't communicate well; hearing but not listening.
2. Loved earned by performances.
3. Blame-shame syndrome.
4. Unhealthy competition.
5. Denial that there are difficulties.
**
"Thou would’st take much Pains to save thy Body: Take some, prithee, to save thy Soul"
--William Penn, Some Fruits of Solitude, 1693
**
God always gives His best to those
who leave the choice with Him.
**
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Today is Friday, April 27th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1050
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Dr. D. James Kennedy, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church minister who also has a weekly television program by the same name, writes in his book "Why I Believe" about 14 different chapter topics.
Why I believe in such topics as creation, God, heaven, hell, Christ, resurrection, and the Bible. In Kennedy's chapter titled, "Why I Believe in Moral Absolutes", he pens these words (chapter 7, pp. 112-113):
*I am astounded to learn how many people sit in church year after year and suppose that all Christianity says to people is: 'Be good; try harder.' They fail totally to understand even the most basic, elementary message of Christianity that in ourselves we have no hope, that our righteousness in which so many trust is simply filthy rags. Paul described it as 'dung' (Philippians 3:8).
We are to be found in Christ by faith in Him. By trusting in what He did, we may be clothed in His righteousness and thus stand faultless before the Throne of God. This is the glorious Good News--the message of the Gospel--though you and I are sinners--unclean, undeserving, ill-deserving, hell-deserving--Christ, the All-Deserving One, lived and died in our stead. If we trust in Him, we will get not what we deserve, but what He deserves--Paradise."
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Today is Monday, April 30th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1051
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On Friday I included a couple of sentences from a book I am reading, dispelling myths, lies, questions, false teachings surrounding some of the facts and principles on which our Christian faith is founded. One more thought from Dr. James Kennedy in his book "Why I Believe". Chapter number ten is titled 'why I believe in the virgin birth'; he lists fifteen reasons.
The one that really caught me attention (page 139) was Kennedy's explanation of Jesus being crucified for claiming that "God was His Father."
It started my thinking on how would Jesus have known that God was His Father. Undoubtedly his mother and father told him that fact when he was very young. Mary could have told Him about the angel who visited her; Joseph could have told Jesus about the angel who visited him. Jesus would have had their stories confirmed, among other times when John baptized him and a voice from heaven said, "You are my much loved Son, yes, my delight." (Luke 3:22)
Kennedy tells there was one person at the foot of the cross who could have saved Jesus if Jesus' claims were mslead facts. "Mary could have stopped the crucifixion. Very simply, she could have stopped the torture and the agony of her son's death on the cross. How? He was crucified for one reason: He claimed that God was His Father.
"If that were a lie, if Mary had been unchaste, she would have had to admit that she was immoral, but she could have stepped forward at any time and said, 'Stop this horror! I am ashamed! I confess! I will tell you who His real Father is!' She could have destroyed His whole pretensions and saved Him from the cross.
No mother, to save her own reputation, would allow her son to be horribly mutilated and killed. Mary could have and would have stopped her son's horrible death, as any mother would have, except that she knew who His Father was.
She knew Jesus' Father was God."
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